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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271176">Speechless</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHungMan/pseuds/TheHungMan'>TheHungMan</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>The Arcana (Visual Novel)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-14</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 08:02:50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>22,420</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25271176</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheHungMan/pseuds/TheHungMan</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Time is ticking for Beverly and Portia as they work together to save Julian's life after he refuses their help. </p>
<p>An extension of Julian's route, between Salty Bitters and Master of Disguise.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Apprentice/Julian Devorak, Portia Devorak/Nadia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>41</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The tension was palpable as they made their way through the winding streets of the city. They passed by a small family making their way down the cobblestone road, nodding as they crossed paths. Beverly couldn’t help but wonder what Portia was thinking at that moment. She glanced down at her new friend, who was tugging at a loose thread on her uniform sleeve.</p>
<p>“So…. you were with my brother last night?” Portia glanced up at her as they turned down an empty side street. <br/>
 <br/>
Beverly’s face grew hot. Asra had been able to piece the story together on his own, but explaining it to Julian’s sister? <em>Shit.</em> She glanced down at the shorter girl, who was looking up at her, waiting for an answer. She let out a quick sigh.</p>
<p>“Well, actually, I ran into him the night before last.” </p>
<p>She could feel her face getting redder by the minute. “I fell into the river, and your brother— he saved me from the eels.” </p>
<p>“What?!” Portia grabbed Beverly’s arm, stopping short in the middle of the street. “Are you okay? What about Ilya??” </p>
<p>“He’s fine! He’s perfectly fine, and so am I thanks to him.” She peeled Portia’s hand from her arm and squeezed it. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you.”</p>
<p>Portia let out a long sigh. They continued on their way, slowing their pace to a comfortable stroll. “It’s okay. I don’t mean to jump to conclusions. I’m sure you know by now my brother is always throwing himself headfirst into dangerous situations.” She shook her head, her brow furrowing. “But I am glad that he was around to help you.” Portia looked up at her friend with a weak smile. </p>
<p>Beverly smiled back. “So am I!” She laughed, nudging the redhead with her elbow. <em>If only things hadn’t gone downhill so fast.</em> The smile fell from her face as she thought about the night before. They walked along the street for a few minutes, neither of them sure of what to say.</p>
<p>“What is it?” Portia pulled on her sleeve, startling her. Beverly’s face was twisted into a frown. <em>You need to relax.</em> She tried to slow her racing heartbeat. </p>
<p>“It’s just— like I said in the shop, it didn’t turn out very well last night.” Beverly attempted to ignore the sinking feeling in her gut. “He left me. He said it was to ‘protect’ me but if I’m being honest… it doesn’t feel that way.” She was having a difficult time keeping her voice steady. </p>
<p>Portia sighed and gazed down at the road. “I don’t know where he gets this idea that he needs to do everything on his own. He’s been like this for as long as I can remember...” She shook her head and looked over at Beverly with a wink as they made their way down a crowded side street. “But don’t worry, we’re going to talk some sense into him, no matter what it takes.” Her voice was filled with a fierce determination that made Beverly feel just a little bit braver.</p>
<p>All their troubles aside, the apprentice was happy that she and Portia had become close in the days that she’d spent at the palace. She still felt out of place wandering around the massive property, but Portia had made her feel welcome right from the start. As much as she loved Asra, it was nice to have someone new to talk to. </p>
<p>Portia let out a dramatic sigh, pulling Beverly from her train of thought as they turned one last corner. “There it is, finally. He has to be in there.”</p>
<p>She followed Portia’s gaze to a building across the street. Above the door was a weathered sign that read 'The Rowdy Raven’. Portia ushered the magician across the street and in through the door of the tavern.</p>
<p>It was dark and quiet inside the building. There were a fair amount of customers milling about, despite it being the middle of the day. Behind the bar stood a hulking figure, cleaning a large glass mug with a rag. He looked up at the two women as they walked a few steps further into the room. Beverly couldn’t help but wonder if he was going to ask them to leave, but he gave a polite nod in their direction and then focused back on his cleaning.</p>
<p><em>This place is very different from The Snake.</em> Beverly pictured the small tavern located several streets down from her shop. In all honesty, she had only been to the one, at least from her recent memories. She hadn’t seen much of the city in general, so she tried to keep an open mind as they walked even further into the stuffy room.</p>
<p>Portia must have been able to tell that she was apprehensive. She turned to Beverly with a wink. “Trust me. I know my brother. He’d definitely hang out at a place called The Rowdy Raven.”</p>
<p>They both scanned the room, trying not to draw any attention to themselves. Beverly was starting to lose hope when she noticed a familiar flash of auburn hair in the back corner of the pub. A tall, slender figure sat slumped over the table, hair messy and covering most of his face. There were 5 long-empty steins littered around him.</p>
<p>“Over there.” Beverly nodded her head towards the table. Portia followed her gaze over to the corner of the room and let out a frustrated huff when she saw her brother wallowing in the corner.</p>
<p>“Oh boy... there he is.” Portia said, rolling her eyes. She looked back at Beverly, one hand on her hip. “Listen, when he gets like this, what he really needs is a good boot to the ass. Do you want to deliver it, or should I?”</p>
<p>Beverly knew that Portia was right, and although a small part of her wanted to sit back and let Portia take charge, she felt a small surge of anger-fueled confidence as she looked over at the drunken doctor.</p>
<p>“I can do it.”</p>
<p>Her heart started to pound as she walked over to the table. She was sure that everyone in the room could hear it hammering away inside her ribcage but she was intent on ignoring it. They stopped in front of his table, pausing only for a beat when he failed to notice their looming presence standing over him.</p>
<p>“Julian.” she said, trying not to let her jumbled emotions influence her tone.</p>
<p>He jumped at his name, his motions slow and clumsy. He lifted his head, blinking up at them.</p>
<p>“Beverly!”</p>
<p>She raised an eyebrow, waiting for him to speak first.</p>
<p>He looked down, face red either from embarrassment or alcohol. “You uhhh- you’re here. In the Raven. In front of me. What, uh. What are you doing here?”</p>
<p>Portia, growing impatient, stormed closer to the table. Julian’s face got even redder as she scolded him. “What are YOU doing here? It’s the middle of the day!” </p>
<p>He swallowed, straightening up as much as he could in an effort to redeem himself. “It’s never too early for a glass of Salty Bitters. Bartholomew makes a grand one. Barth! Hey, Barth! Two more Bitters, would you?”</p>
<p>Beverly lost a little bit of her composure. “Julian, this is a good way to get yourself caught!” </p>
<p>He peered up at her with a smirk. “Caught? Me, caught?” but the smirk disappeared faster than it had appeared. “Mmm. Good. I’d deserve it.” He threw his arm out, almost knocking the chair next to him over in the process. He continued, face contorting with anguish as he looked to the side, breaking eye contact. “You must be relieved. Even if you weren’t last night, well. Just look at me now, hmm? I’m all... I’m all washed up.” His head bobbed as he looked back up with a grimace. “You’d better get out of here, before I drag you both down too.”</p>
<p>With every word Beverly became more and more distressed. He wanted them to just sit by while he drank his sorrows away alone in a tavern, waiting to get taken away in chains? And then what, the gallows? The image of a noose around his neck made her feel physically ill. <em>Breathe.</em> She repeated to herself.</p>
<p>“No.” The word had come out harsher than she meant it to. She didn’t know how much longer she could keep this up. She was starting to feel faint, but she pushed it down, determined to disregard it.</p>
<p>“I- er, what?” He looked up at her with genuine confusion.</p>
<p>“We aren’t leaving.”</p>
<p>He stared back at her for a moment and then dropped his head to the table with a groan, closing his eyes. His voice fell in defeat. “I don’t want either of you tangled up in this mess. I can’t be the reason you get hurt.” </p>
<p>Portia huffed. “We get to decide that, Ilya, not you! Stop trying to push us away.” </p>
<p>He shot up, a scowl spreading across his face. “Get out of here, both of you!” He clenched his jaw and looked up at Beverly, the common sense of their argument getting the better of him. “How plainly do I have to put it for you? I don’t <em>want</em> you.” He grimaced, the look in his eye betraying him as his continued, his fists clenching. “I don’t want you around, and I don’t want your help. Leave, now.” </p>
<p>Beverly stood there for a moment, a terrible storm of emotions swirling around in her head. She knew that this was all still a facade, a way to push them away to try and protect them, but the words hit her like a punch to the gut when they came out of his mouth. She felt the blood drain from her face as she tried to process what he had said. She was reminding herself to take slow, deep breaths when she began to feel lightheaded. <em>Not here, please not now.</em> Swaying on her feet, she turned on her heel and walked towards the door. Time seemed to slow down as she made her way out of the tavern, weaving between the tables, her heart pounding like a drum in her chest. She could hear Portia arguing back at Julian but she couldn’t make out the words. <em>Just make it outside.</em> She willed herself forward, step by step. She got to the door as a headache hit her like a wave and she began to feel dizzy. She turned back as she pushed the door open, looking over her shoulder at the table where Portia stood, still scolding Julian. The doctor sat there, ignoring her sister's words. His face fell as he watched Beverly stumble out the door and into the breezy afternoon air.</p>
<p>She couldn’t remember how she ended up on the ground in the alley behind The Raven. She braced herself with her hands as she tried to slow her pulse down, the cold cobblestone anchoring her. She could almost hear Asra’s voice telling her to focus on her breathing. Her heartbeat started to return to normal as she felt the cool breeze hit her face. The ringing in her ears was starting to subside when she realized she could hear a voice calling her name.</p>
<p>“Beverly! Are you alright?!” Portia asked, hovering over her. As the shorter girl came into focus in front of her, Beverly recognized the concerned look on her face. She had seen that same look on Julian’s face when she was bitten by the eel. It sent a jolt through her. “You look awful!”</p>
<p>“Gee, thanks.” Beverly muttered, looking up at Portia, who helped her up on her feet using the wall for support.</p>
<p>“Well, you do! You scared me, I thought you fainted!” She said, exasperated.</p>
<p>Beverly's face flushed. “I... I think I almost did.” she admitted. She couldn’t believe that she had almost lost consciousness. <em>I should have better control over this by now.</em> She let go of Portia’s arm, pressing both of her hands to the wall to balance herself. “That’s never happened to me before, I can’t believe it. I’m so sorry Portia, I ruined the plan.” Beverly said, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You didn’t ruin anything, Bev. He refuses to listen to reason when he gets like this.” Portia balled her hands into fists and turned to her friend. “Don’t worry, we aren’t going to give up on him, right?” Her eyes sparkled with a look of resolve. </p>
<p>Beverly gave her a weak smile. “Right.” </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beverly and Portia make it back to the palace, where the Countess is waiting for an update on the investigation. TW: Slight gore.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beverly took several deep breaths as she leaned against the cold wall of the tavern. Portia waited patiently for the magician to collect herself, and after several minutes they started their walk back to the palace. As they got closer and closer to their destination, she felt dread start to settle in her stomach once again. As luxurious as her current residence was, she was homesick for her own bed in her cozy, familiar flat. </p>
<p>“Damn it!”</p>
<p>Beverly snapped out of her daydream when she heard Portia cursing to herself.</p>
<p>The redhead kicked a small rock down the street. “I should have— we should have had a backup plan in the first place.” She mumbled, shaking her head.</p>
<p>“You were hoping for the best… and so was I.” Beverly said, her voice wavering. They cut down a side alley and onto the main road leading to the palace. “I feel pretty foolish myself, but beating ourselves up over it isn’t going to help us come up with a better plan any faster.”</p>
<p>Portia sighed and looked over at her. “You’re right, I know you’re right. We’ll be back at the palace soon, we can come up with a new plan as soon as we get back and smooth things over with her ladyship.”</p>
<p><em>Nadia.</em> In all the chaos Beverly had forgotten about Nadia, who was no doubt expecting to hear some kind of update on the investigation.</p>
<p>“Do you think we can use the masquerade to buy ourselves some time?” Beverly asked Portia, turning to face her. “If we’re going to succeed we need something to keep Nadia distracted.”</p>
<p>Portia hummed as she considered their options. “The Countess is already distracted as it is, I don’t think it will take much to <em>keep</em> her distracted.” The smaller girl frowned, tugging on her uniform. “I— well, that is to say…”</p>
<p>Beverly gave her friend a nod, encouraging her to continue.</p>
<p>Portia exhaled, her face falling. “Sometimes I worry that The Countess is being pulled in too many directions. She’s got a lot on her plate and it’s not good for her health. It… concerns me.” She frowned, her eyes beginning to water just a little.</p>
<p>“You must care about her a lot.” Beverly patted the shorter girl on the shoulder. Portia’s face grew bright red and she looked away, avoiding her friend's gaze. Beverly chuckled to herself. <em>Interesting.</em> </p>
<p>They walked in silence the rest of the way back. They were both more disheartened than they wanted to admit. Beverly glanced down at Portia, who was bumping into her as they walked. After what felt like hours they came to the long bridge that led to the palace gates. The sun beat down on them as they made their way along the pristine white marble pathway.</p>
<p>“What are you going to tell Nadia?” Portia whispered as they walked through the gates. “She’s going to want to know if you’ve made any progress.”</p>
<p>Beverly gulped, while she knew she wasn’t a convincing liar, she didn’t have much of a choice if she wanted to help save Julian’s life. Trying to sound more confident than she felt, she turned to Portia.</p>
<p>“I’m going to tell her the truth. That these things can’t be solved overnight.”</p>
<p>Portia snorted as she looked back down at the glistening road before them. “You’ll have to let me know how that goes.”</p>
<p>They were almost at the palace doors when Beverly glanced over at the river beside them. She saw the now-familiar shape of a vampire eel slithering through the water, burying itself in the cool mud below. She reached for her side, her fingers grazing over the spot where the eel had bit her two nights ago. Although her wound was healed thanks to a certain doctor, the memory of the eels' teeth plunging into her torso made her shiver. When she first went under she didn’t know which direction was up and which was down, the instant she hit the freezing water the air had been knocked out of her lungs. Only a few seconds had passed when the eels razor-sharp teeth sunk into her body. She could feel the impact but she was so numb from the icy water that it didn’t hurt… at first. She had just begun to lose consciousness when she felt Julian’s long, slender fingers slide down her hand and grip her wrist. He yanked her out of the water with one arm, and she flopped against him like a rag doll. She could still picture the horrified look on his face as he grabbed her, steadying her by the shoulders. He was speaking to her, asking her where she was injured, but the words didn’t register. All she could do was stare up at him. The minutes that followed were a bit of a blur, but somehow they ended up in the alley. Heat started to rise to her cheeks as she remembered the cool touch of his bare skin when he slid her shirt up and away from the freely bleeding wound, pressing his icy hand to her abdomen. His curly hair fell, covering half of his face as he slid his other hand under her head, supporting her while she tried to keep from passing out. The strange symbol on his neck began to glow, illuminating his sharp features as his good eye locked with hers. Then, blood that should have been hers started dripping from his torso.</p>
<p>She shook herself out of the memory, her heart racing. They stepped through the grand entrance and into the palace.</p>
<p>They both breathed a sigh of relief as they glanced around. Not a soul was in sight. It was unusually quiet considering the amount of preparation that was currently happening. Portia looked up at her, shrugging her shoulders. They strode through the foyer and down the main hallway. Beverly was starting to think that the palace was abandoned when she heard Nadia’s serene voice speaking to someone from around the corner. </p>
<p>“…afraid I simply do not have the time to spare.” Nadia finished, sounding ever calm and collected. She turned the corner, her hand pinching her brow. </p>
<p>“Mi’lady!” Portia called out, rushing over to the Countess.</p>
<p>“Beverly, Portia.” the Countess acknowledged them, a small smile on her lips as Portia stood in front of her.</p>
<p>“Are you alright? Is there anything I can help you with?” </p>
<p>“Not to worry, Portia.” Nadia said, brightening as she looked down at the redhead. Her eyes lit up at the young woman in front of her. “It has been taken care of. If the two of you would be kind enough to join me outside, I believe we have matters to discuss.” </p>
<p>“Of course.” Beverly said, following behind Nadia, who had already started to walk away. They made their way into the garden, drifting through the winding paths of shrubbery. After several long minutes, they reached the fountain where Beverly had spoken with Asra only a few nights before. “So, do you have any new information for me?” Nadia asked, sitting down on the edge of the large fountain, folding her hands on her lap.</p>
<p>Beverly had to stop herself from glancing over at Portia. “Nadia, I’m afraid this investigation is not going to be as quick a process as we had hoped.” She tried to steady her voice. Lying always made her anxious. Truth be told, she was terrible at it, she only hoped that the stakes at hand made her more convincing just this once. “I am doing my best to gather all the information we need but it’s a slow process, particularly because the crime was committed over three years ago.” She maintained eye contact with the Countess the entire time, praying that she could keep up the confident facade. </p>
<p>Nadia gazed up at Beverly for a few gut-wrenching moments. The apprentice was starting to break out in a nervous sweat but she refused to break eye contact with the stunning woman in front of her.</p>
<p> “I, of course, always knew that this was a possibility.” Nadia said, looking down at the water. “As much as I hoped that this would be resolved quickly I do realize that it is unrealistic of me to expect you to solve it instantaneously.”</p>
<p>Beverly nearly doubled over. It felt like the weight of the world had just lifted from her shoulders. The Countess smiled at her. “I appreciate everything you’re doing for me, Beverly. You don’t need to be anxious on my account. I have the utmost faith in you.” Beverly felt a pang of guilt as The Countess acknowledged her. Nadia stood up from the edge of the fountain, looking down at her reflection in the water. Beverly managed to sneak a quick glance over at Portia, who was doing a much better job of hiding her relief. Nadia turned from the fountain, looking between the two of them. “You’ll have to excuse me, ladies, planning the Masquerade is proving to be a more exhausting experience than I remembered. We will talk soon, I’m sure.” With a polite nod of her head, The Countess walked back through the winding paths of the palace garden and out of sight. </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed chapter 2! As usual please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions for me. As I stated in my last chapter, this story is fully completed so I will have chapter 3 up in a week.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Beverly and Portia spend time in the palace trying to come up with a new plan to save Julian.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beverly wasn’t sure how long she and Portia had been sitting by the fountain. She felt sick to her stomach. She hated lying to The Countess, who had thus far shown her nothing but kindness. None the less, she knew they needed to buy themselves some time and she was grateful for the lucky break. She was in no hurry to see Julian with a noose around his neck. </p>
<p>Julian… she had been so distracted by Nadia that she had nearly forgotten about her encounter with the doctor at The Raven that morning. Her stomach knotted at the memory. <em>Why is this bothering me so much?</em> She couldn’t understand why she was having such an emotional reaction to a man that she barely knew. It didn’t feel… normal. Portia looked over at her, frowning. “Are you alright, Beverly?” she asked, nudging the taller girl with her elbow. </p>
<p>“I’m alright.” Beverly inhaled sharply. “I almost forgot about what happened this morning.” She said, trying to fight the lump that was rising in her throat. “I’m so embarrassed.” </p>
<p>“Please don’t be embarrassed!” Portia wrapped her arm around Beverly’s shoulders. “I know this isn’t the easiest thing for you. I’m sorry that I pushed you into that situation, I didn’t even consider how it might affect you, you know, emotionally.” Portia said, frowning.</p>
<p>“You didn’t push me.” Beverly shook her head. “We were both hurt and we both went into the situation knowing that it might not work. Now we just need to come up with a better plan.” </p>
<p>“Right!” Portia exclaimed with a clap of her hands. She stood up from the ledge of the fountain, where she had been sitting since Nadia’s departure. She stretched her arms up above her head, groaning. Beverly heard several of her joints crack. She swung her arms down and spun around, sighing. “Want to go to the storage room? We can come up with a new plan in peace. The sun is already starting to go down, it’ll be dark in an hour or two.” </p>
<p> </p>
<p>They made their way through the halls, trying not to draw any attention to themselves. As they walked, Beverly was reminded of the first time Portia had taken her to the storage room in the left-wing of the palace. She had been trying to find her way back to her guest quarters after her mysterious communication with Asra. She quite literally ran into Portia as the redhead was coming out of the palace, up to god knows what at that time of night. Beverly had told her that she was having a hard time sleeping, which was not <em>technically</em> a lie. Portia grabbed her arm and led her through the palace to a room in a secluded corner of the left-wing. She swung the large door open with a wink and Beverly stepped into a room that was filled to the brim with every musical instrument you could think of, each of them covered in a thick layer of dust. They had been stored in this room for three years, locked away after the last masquerade. Portia had informed her new friend that this particular storage room was her favorite hideaway inside the palace when she wanted some privacy. They spent the next hour talking, Portia telling Beverly about the various goings-on around the colossal building, Beverly telling Portia about her shop and all her regular customers. She felt some of her tension melting away. She began to poke around the large room, looking at all the different instruments. They were hanging from the walls and stored in rows across the floor, creating a maze of boxes and cases. She had no idea what most of them were, but as she turned a corner at the back of the room her eyes fell on the most beautiful piano she had ever seen. It looked brand new, aside from the blanket of dust that covered it. She walked over to it and absentmindedly ran her fingers over the black and white keys. “Do you play?” Portia had asked, cocking her head to one side.</p>
<p>Beverly nodded. “It’s one of the only things that I remember from my childhood. From before—” Beverly cut herself off. “I play at the tavern near the shop once a week.” </p>
<p>“Play a song for me! Please?” Portia had asked her, nodding her head towards the small bench placed in front of the instrument. Beverly glanced back at the door, her brow furrowing. “Don’t worry, no one will hear us, no one ever comes this way.” Portia replied, picking up on her train of thought. Beverly recalled a short song she had learned years ago and sat down at the piano. She began to play, slow at first, but picking up speed as the notes came back to her. She closed her eyes, trying to remember the lyrics as she plucked away. She started singing, still afraid that someone might hear her.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>They had spent several late hours together in that storage room in the few days that Beverly had spent at the palace. She almost preferred it to her guest quarters. As nice as they were, she couldn’t help but feel out of place whenever she was in that opulent room. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>After some careful maneuvering, they reached their hideout. Beverly walked to the middle of the room and plunked down onto the floor. She crossed her legs as Portia closed the door behind them.</p>
<p>“The day isn’t even over yet and I’m already exhausted.” Beverly sighed. It dawned on her that she had no idea what their next logical step was. “What the hell are we going to do now!” she whined, hugging her knees to her chest.</p>
<p> “Honestly… I don’t know Bev.” </p>
<p>——————————————————————————————————————————————————————————</p>
<p>The two of them sat in that room and bounced ideas off each other for three hours. Nothing sticking, nothing sounding realistic enough to work.</p>
<p> “What if we lure him to your shop and force him to stay until he agrees to let us help him? Can you trap him using magic??” Portia asked, her face lighting up. </p>
<p>“I’m not going to imprison your brother in my house using magic!” Beverly blurted out, her face flushing at the idea. “And anyway, how would we convince him to come to my shop in the first place?” </p>
<p>“Mmm… I <em>suppose</em> you have a point.” Portia replied, fiddling with her long, curly hair. </p>
<p>Beverly got up from her position on the floor and stretched her long limbs out, rocking up on her tiptoes. She wasn’t nearly as tall as Julian, however, she had a good eight inches on Portia. She looked around the room, observing all the different instruments stored within the space. She wondered if they would be used during the upcoming masquerade. <em>They’ll definitely need to be cleaned first.</em> She thought to herself, sighing at the prospect that their peaceful sanctuary would be filled with palace staff soon. She made her way over to the only instrument she knew. She plopped down on the intricately carved seat, her long legs hanging off the end, and placed her hand on the keys of the pristine piano. Portia watched her out of the corner of her eye, still trying to conjure up a way to physically trap her brother.</p>
<p>As her fingers brushed over the instrument, the tune of a song she once knew popped into her head. She began to hum it, swinging her legs over the smooth piano bench to sit at the instrument. She began to play the song, trying to let her muscle memory guide her. It was slow at first, but soon enough she was picking up speed. She started to sing.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>I'll never talk again</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh boy you've left me speechless</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You've left me speechless, so speechless</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>And I'll never love again</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>Oh boy you've left me speechless</em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>You've left me speechless, so speechless</em>
</p>
<p> </p>
<p>Beverly’s eyes popped open. She hadn’t realized that she had closed them. She wrapped her arms around her torso, trying to make the knots in her stomach go away. She tried to convince herself that she couldn’t be this upset over Julian. <em>It makes no logical sense.</em> She tried to shake all thoughts of the doctor from her mind. </p>
<p>Portia sighed, a sympathetic smile crossing her face as she looked over at her friend. “I’m sorry you feel this way on my brother’s account.” </p>
<p>“I appreciate that, but you don’t owe me an apology.” Beverly replied, wiping her eyes. “And I’m not giving up on him yet.”</p>
<p>Another half-hour passed and they still hadn’t come up with a new plan. They shuffled out of the room, not wanting to push their luck this close to the Masquerade. Portia fiddled with her key ring while Beverly closed the door behind them. They stood in the hallway for a moment, both of them unsure of what to do next.</p>
<p>“Are you going back to the guest room?” Portia asked, cocking her head to the side. “The sun’s already set but it’s not that late yet…”</p>
<p>“I usually play at the tavern near the shop on Tuesday nights…” Beverly started</p>
<p>“But I’m not sure if I should after what happened this morning.”</p>
<p>Portia clasped onto her friend's sleeve. “You should go Beverly. I know you enjoy it, I can see it when you play. It will take your mind off—” She paused, stopping herself from saying her brother’s name out loud. “—anyways, I can come with you! If you want me to, that is.” Portia said, grinning up at her friend.</p>
<p>“You would come watch me play?” Beverly asked, unable to hide her surprise. Portia nodded. “Of course you can come.” Beverly beamed down at the redhead. “I would appreciate the company tonight, honestly.” </p>
<p>Portia giggled and seized Beverly’s hand. “Oh my gosh! I’m SO glad you’re going to let me come! I’m dying to see you perform for an audience.” She gave Beverly a playful wink. Beverly chuckled and rolled her eyes. “Don’t get your hopes too high.”</p>
<p>They made a quick stop by Portia’s cottage. Beverly sat on the porch, enjoying the refreshing night air while Portia changed out of her palace uniform and into her normal clothes. She watched the moon as it began to rise. It was taking up most of the sky, filling the garden with soft blue moonlight. She felt her mind wander to Julian for the 200th time that day. Where was he? Was he safe? Had he been captured? Was he with someone else?</p>
<p>She felt a twinge of jealousy when she considered that particular thought. She shook it from her mind, embarrassed that she had entertained the idea. <em>He wouldn’t do that.</em> She hadn’t known him very long, she had no logical reason to feel the way she did, and yet she couldn’t shake the feeling that their encounters over the past couple of days were something more than mere coincidence.</p>
<p>She was certain of one thing: Every moment that Julian spent out on his own was putting him in danger, and the thought of something happening to him was an inescapable nightmare.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed Chapter 3! The song mentioned in this chapter is Speechless by Lady Gaga. It's one of my favorites, and as I was listening to it I realized that the lyrics remind me of Julian and his route. It was a big part of my inspiration for this story, so if you haven't heard it I would absolutely recommend it. </p>
<p>Chapter 4 will be up next Tuesday. Thank you all so much for reading, I appreciate every single view this story gets, and I hope you all have a wonderful week!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The two girls stepped out onto the main road just outside of the palace. They walked through the now-busy streets, passing between several clusters of people, all heading to various unknown locations around Vesuvia. The nightlife was never dull in the city.</p><p>“Do you know what you’re going to sing tonight?” Portia asked, trying her best to sound casual as they turned a corner onto a winding side street. </p><p>“Do you remember the one I played for you a few nights ago, when you first brought me to the storage room? It’s short enough, I won’t need to be up there for a long time.” </p><p>“That one’s nice….” Portia replied, rubbing her chin with a dramatic pause. “But how about the one from this afternoon?” she asked, grinning up at her friend. Beverly began to protest but Portia cut her off “—I know you probably aren’t fond of that idea but we both know that getting some of those pent up emotions out will be good for you, especially after this morning.” Portia elbowed Beverly in the ribs a little harder than she intended, causing Beverly to let out a small grunt. “Anyways, it’s your decision, don’t let my humble opinion sway you. Just think about it!” Portia said, trying -and failing- to maintain a neutral facade.</p><p>Beverly chuckled at her. “You know, you’re not being as subtle as you think you are.” She arched her eyebrow down at her friend.</p><p>“Well, <i>you’re</i> not as hard to read as you think you are!” Portia replied, winking up at the taller girl. They weaved their way through the crowded streets and within a few minutes, they arrived at their destination. </p><p>Portia squinted up at the sign hanging above the door. "The Slippery Snake…”  she read with a groan, rolling her eyes. “What is with the taverns in this city!?” Beverly let out a nervous giggle and nudged Portia towards the entrance. The door swung open as a man stumbled outside, almost knocking the two of them to the ground.</p><p>“Beverly!” the man exclaimed, his eyes widening. “I’m sorry that I’m gonna miss you play tonight, gotta get home to Hannah. She’ll be furious if I turn up any later than I already am!” he said with a hearty laugh.</p><p>“Have a great night Greg, tell Hannah I send my best.” Beverly said as he walked away with a wave. Portia grabbed the handle of the door as it started to swing shut, her eyes lighting up. They could hear the hustle and bustle coming from inside. They shared a quick look, both of them grinning as they stepped into the building.  </p><p>The tavern, as usual, was busy. People were spread out across the room, and the constant buzz of conversation filled the air. Still, it was tame compared to the other bars in Vesuiva. Beverly looked over and saw the barkeep serving drinks to several young women who were sitting at the bar. They glanced over at the two girls as they set the last drink down, and waved both of them over. </p><p>“Beverly! I was wondering if you’d come, your shop wasn’t open this morning.” they said, flashing a toothy grin at the two girls. “Can I get anything for either of you?” </p><p>“Nothing for me tonight, thank you, Carmen. Portia?” Beverly asked, looking down at her friend. </p><p>“I have to wake up early tomorrow!” Portia whined, a grumpy pout stretching across her face.</p><p>“Alright then! This guy should, <em>gods-willing</em>, be done soon, you can follow him if you want. Let me know if either of you needs anything!” The barkeep half-yelled over the music before they turned and began making another large order of drinks. Beverly and Portia sat down at the far end of the bar and looked over at the man who was responsible for the music coming from the front of the room. He was hopping around the small stage, his legs flailing wildly, as he attempted to play the lute. A small group of people sitting at the open tables near the platform were clapping along to his song, all of them giggling at his erratic movements. When he finished playing he took a large bow, almost falling over in the process. Portia and Beverly laughed, clapping along with everyone else in the room.</p><p>As he stumbled over to the bar to order another drink, Beverly stood up and turned to Portia. “Wish me luck! If I put it off I’ll never go up.” she said with a laugh. Portia gave her a small salute, and the apprentice made her way over to the piano.</p><p>Beverly had been shocked the first time that Asra made the suggestion that she try playing in the tavern. He thought it might help trigger some of her old memories since playing was one of the only things she could remember from her past life. So once a week she would walk a few streets over from her shop to the tavern and play a song. It was never chaotic like some of the other hot spots in the city, and the regulars were nice to her. She had come to enjoy it week after week. Even if it wasn’t helping jog any of her memories, it was getting her out of the shop, if only for a little while.</p><p>“Hey! Beverly is here to save us from that guy’s horrible music!” one of the women at the tables called out. The rest of her table burst into peels of laughter. All the other patrons in the tavern seemed to be off in their own conversations. Beverly didn’t mind. It was one of the things she liked most about this place.</p><p>She shook her head and smiled, giving a small wave to the others at the table. She sat down at the piano, now realizing just how nice the one at the palace was compared to this well-worn instrument. <em>At least I don’t have to worry about scuffing this one up</em>. </p><p>She turned to her small audience. “My friend at the bar over there convinced me to sing this one, you’ll have to blame her if you don’t like it.” The group let out a couple hoots in Portia’s direction. The redhead waved from her seat at the bar, beaming from ear to ear. Beverly smiled, she could feel the stress from the past 48 hours start to melt away. Even with everything that was going on she still had this place, and the people she had come to enjoy playing for. Now her friend, one of her only new friends from the past 3 years, was here to support her too. She took a quick glance around the room at all the other people scattered across the tavern, each lost in their own conversations, all of them paying her no mind. All except one.</p><p>There he sat, alone at a secluded table in the back of the room. <em>Julian</em>. She felt her jaw drop as she stared back at his handsome, pale face. Her heart began to pound so hard that she thought it might give out. He focused all of his attention on her, ignoring all the commotion around him. <em>This can’t be happening</em>. She tried to make her voice work but nothing came out. <em>This can not be happening right now.</em> </p><p>He stared up at her from the back of the room like he’d been waiting there for hours. He looked remarkably relaxed considering how their conversation had gone that morning. His good eye pierced into hers, knocking the breath out of her lungs. She glanced over at Portia, who was oblivious to her brother’s presence on the opposite side of the room.  </p><p>Her first instinct was to run. Dozens of plans of escape rushed through her mind in a matter of seconds. She scanned the room, searching for her nearest exit. She wanted to run far, far away, and keep on running until she was a million miles from the tavern and the man inside of it. She tried to make her legs work, but they felt like jelly beneath her, so she stayed glued to the piano bench. She couldn’t stop herself as she connected with his steely gaze once more. Her breath caught in her throat, choking her, and at that moment she felt every emotion that she had shoved down over the past couple of nights hit her like a punch to the gut. His calm facade began to crack as he continued to watch her unravel. He frowned as she stared back at him, his brow furrowing. She felt an unexpected surge of anger rush through her. She was embarrassed by how much her heart ached when she saw him sitting there, a look of concern creeping across his face. She broke his gaze and looked down at the piano in front of her. She took a deep, shaky breath and lifted her hands to the black and white keys.</p><p><em>I can't believe what you said to me</em><br/>
<em>Last night we were alone</em><br/>
<em>You threw your arms up</em><br/>
<em>My dear, you gave up, you gave up</em></p><p><em>I can't believe how you looked at me</em><br/>
<em>With your half-drunk glossy eyes</em><br/>
<em>With your soft lips, and your long hair</em><br/>
<em>And your smokey-sweet stained lies</em></p><p>The tavern grew quiet as she continued to sing. She could feel all the eyes in the room turn on her, but only his mattered. </p><p><em>Could we fix you if you broke?</em><br/>
<em>And is your punch line just a joke?</em></p><p><em>I'll never talk again</em><br/>
<em>Oh boy you've left me speechless</em><br/>
<em>You've left me speechless, so speechless</em><br/>
<em>And I'll never love again</em><br/>
<em>Oh boy you've left me speechless</em><br/>
<em>You've left me speechless, so speechless</em></p><p>She was trying to keep her voice steady. The doctor was also having a hard time trying to maintain his calm exterior. Beverly could see the pain in his expression grow as he sat, still as a statue, never breaking his gaze. She focused back on the keys, willing herself to finish.</p><p><em>And I know that it's complicated</em><br/>
<em>But I'm a loser in love</em><br/>
<em>So darling raise a glass to mend</em><br/>
<em>All the broken hearts</em><br/>
<em>Of all my fucked up friends</em></p><p>She heard several loud cheers come from the tables in front of her, but she could barely register that they were for her. The sound of her heart pounding out of her chest overtook every other sound around her like a metronome. <em>Just get through this.</em></p><p><em>And after all the drinks and bars that we've been to</em><br/>
<em>Would you give it all up?</em><br/>
<em>Could I give it all up for you?</em><br/>
<em>And after all the boys and the girls that we've been through</em><br/>
<em>Would you give it all up?</em><br/>
<em>Could you give it all up?</em><br/>
<em>If I promised boy to you…</em></p><p>She paused, unable to make her fingers work as they hovered over the keys of the piano. She felt tears beginning to well up in her eyes. She refused to look over at him, not wanting him to see her cry yet again. Her voice was raspy as she continued, singing the next two lines almost at a whisper.</p><p><em>That I'll never talk again</em><br/>
<em>And I'll never love again</em></p><p>She took a long, unsteady breath as she began to play louder.</p><p><em>I'll never write a song</em><br/>
<em>Won't even sing along</em><br/>
<em>I'll never love again</em></p><p>Beverly could feel the tears streaming down her face but she didn’t care. Her voice cracked as she continued to sing, every person in the tavern now enraptured in her song. She knew that everyone had noticed her crying, but it didn’t matter. The only thing that mattered, the only thing she could even think about, was the man who had told her that he didn’t want her. She turned away from him, clenching her eyes shut in an attempt to stop the tears flowing down her cheeks.</p><p><em>Will you ever talk again?</em><br/>
<em>Oh boy, why you so speechless?</em><br/>
<em>You've left me speechless, so speechless</em></p><p>She was so close, it felt like an eternity has passed since she had started. She forced herself to look over at him one last time. Even through the tears that now flowed freely down her cheeks, she could see the regret written across his face.</p><p><em><b>Some men may follow me</b></em><br/>
<em><b>But you choose death and company</b></em><b><b><br/>
<em><b>Why you so speechless? Oh oh oh</b></em><b><b></b></b></b></b></p><p>
  <b>
    <b>
      <b></b>
    </b>
  </b>
</p><p>
  <b>
    <b>
      <b></b>
    </b>
  </b>
</p><p>Her head began to buzz as her fingers played the final note. She could sense the dull vibrations of the applause coming from the patrons across the tavern. Portia was jumping up and down, clapping for her friend, but Beverly couldn’t hear any of it. Time seemed to slow down as she stared solemnly over at the most heartbroken man she had ever seen. He still hadn’t moved, his face was twisted into a pained grimace. All she wanted to do was run over to him, to shake some sense into him, beg him to see reason like she should have done at The Raven, but she made no effort to get to him. Even if she could get her legs to work, as soon as she made a move towards him he would be out the back door in a flash, and they both knew it.</p><p>One of the women from the table in front stood up and ran over to her, clapping her on the back. Beverly could hear her words of praise but they didn’t register. As the crowd around her grew thicker the doctor stood up from his empty table. Out of the corner of her eye, Beverly could see Portia pushing her way towards the piano. Julian glanced over, his eye widening as he noticed his sister shoving her way through the small crowd. In a few quick strides, he walked over to the back exit of the pub, pausing with his gloved hand on the door. He turned and looked back at Beverly. She could feel the tears beginning to prick at the corner of her eyes again. She wanted to call out to him, to say anything and everything to stop him from walking out that door, but the horrible lump in her throat muted her. He gave her one last crestfallen look before he slipped out the door and into the cool night air.  </p><p><em>Move. Chase after him. DO SOMETHING.</em> She begged her body to move in any way but she was anchored to the hard piano bench. She looked up at all the people standing around her as they congratulated her on her performance. She could hear Portia trying to squeeze her way through the blockade of people that were surrounding her. Beverly watched her friend’s face fall as she got closer to the bench that was imprisoning her. She wanted to scream at the top of her lungs and tell Portia what had just occurred but all she could manage to do was shake her head. </p><p>Portia grabbed her arm and tugged her up off the wooden bench, immediately realizing that something wasn’t right. Beverly, forcing a shaky smile, turned to her friends and neighbors. “Thank you all.” was all she was able to choke out. Portia pulled her through the crowd and they were out the front door in under a minute. </p><p>Beverly stood out in the middle of the road letting the cool breeze surround her. She gasped for air, her breathing deep and ragged as she tried to stop her head from spinning. Portia walked over and stood in front of her, patiently waiting for her to collect herself. Beverly looked down at the shorter girl and wondered how she was going to tell her that her brother had just witnessed everything in the tavern, and then disappeared into the night.</p><p>“He was there.” Beverly said, shaking. She was still trying to comprehend the words coming out of her mouth. “Julian was there, Portia. Sitting at one of the tables in the corner. He watched the whole thing and left out out the back door.”</p><p>Portia’s eyes grew wide. She tried to sputter out a response, her jaw-dropping as she failed to find the words. They had been so close and he’d slipped through their fingers, again. The redhead cursed loudly and pinched the bridge of her nose with her fingers. “What the HELL is wrong with him?!” Portia yelled, tears now threatening to spill from her eyes as well. She kicked a small rock down the street, her hands clenched into fists.</p><p>“Portia, I think he knew I was going be there tonight. I don’t know how he found out… How could I be so stupid! I should have just gotten up and ran over to him—“ Beverly was cut off as Portia seized her by the elbow. “Do not blame yourself for my brother’s ridiculous antics.” Portia said, squeezing her arm. “I know you… <i>care</i> about him, and I do too, but we can’t blame ourselves for this. If he saw us trying to get to him he would have been out that door before we could lay a finger on him. Not to mention the risk of drawing attention to him right now…”  The smaller girl looked up at her friend, determination set in her voice. “We will find him Beverly, and we will get through to him. I just know it.” </p><p>The apprentice mustered up a weak smile and nodded. Portia rocked up on her tiptoes and wiped a few half-dried tears away from her friend’s cheek.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all liked Chapter 4! This was one of my favorites to write. As I said in the last chapter, the song referenced is Speechless by Lady Gaga, one of my favorites, and my inspiration for writing this story. If you haven't heard it I would highly recommend it. </p><p>Chapter 5 will be up next week. Thanks so much for reading, I appreciate every view this gets. Have a wonderful week everyone!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The night grew colder as they made their way back through the city. The lamp-lit streets were now empty, with only an occasional straggler passing by. No one gave the two girls a second glance. Portia tried to keep light conversation as they walked, but Beverly’s mind was elsewhere. She wished that she could talk to Asra in person, though she knew better than to hope that he would be home. He was always disappearing. She couldn’t keep track of him, and at this point, she didn’t really try to.</p><p>Beverly stared vacantly down at the road. The past 48 hours had been strenuous, to say the least. This was the most eventful week that she could remember and she was exhausted. She shuffled along behind Portia, her eyes tracing the pattern of the cobblestone as it passed beneath her. They turned a sharp corner and she glanced up. She hadn’t been paying attention to where they were. Her eyes widened when she recognized the dark outline of her shop just across the street. She glanced over at the storefront and sighed, wanting nothing more than to crawl into her own bed and never come back out.</p><p>“Would you like to check on it?” she jumped at the sound of Portia’s voice beside her. </p><p>Beverly tried to hide her surprise as she looked down at her friend, who was nodding over at the shop with a reassuring smile.</p><p>“What about you?” Beverly asked. “Will you be alright getting back to the palace?”</p><p>Portia snorted. “I can take care of myself, don’t you worry about that.” The redhead winked, putting her hands on her hips. “We can meet in the garden tomorrow morning to try and come up with an actual plan.” Beverly nodded in agreement. Portia gave her friend’s arm a quick squeeze and walked off towards the palace. </p><p>Beverly had to stop herself from flat out sprinting over to her shop. She mustered her strength and strolled over to the front door. She lifted the protection spell she had placed before she left and flung the front door open. The second the door closed behind her she called out to see if Asra was home. <em>Nothing</em>. She sighed, disappointed but not surprised. She pulled her sweater off over her head and dropped it on the stairs leading up to the small flat above the shop. She meandered behind the glass counter and sat down on the tall stool she used during business hours. It felt like it had been weeks since she was alone. Her emotions were swimming and her eyes started to well up, tears threatening to spill out once again. She was overwhelmed, not just by her feelings for Julian, which were nagging at her like an old memory, but also by the sheer excitement of the past couple of days. She had been taking things easy for so long. <em>Little steps.</em> That's what Asra always told her. <em>Threw that to the wind, didn’t you?</em>  She thought, wiping her face with the back of her hand.  </p><p>The comfort of her own bed was calling out to her. She forced herself off the stool, her muscles stiff from the stress of the evening, and started over towards the stairs. The prospect of getting some real sleep had just begun to set in when she heard a loud CRASH come from the back room. Her heart leapt into her throat, but she couldn’t scream. She took two steps back, about to make a break for it out the front door when a quiet string of curse words came from the pitch-black room. Her mouth went dry as soon as she heard the melancholy voice.  </p><p>“Would you believe me if I said I didn’t think you were coming back here tonight?” Julian asked, emerging the back room, his face bright red. He looked down at the floor, trying to avoid her shocked stare. </p><p>“What are you doing here, Julian?” was all she was able to choke out, her voice quavering. Part of her wanted to run out the door and part of her wanted to run into his arms, but she felt like she was cemented to the floor. She was still raspy from both singing and crying, and she knew that she had tear stains running down her face. </p><p><em>Why is he here? How did he get in here <b>again?</b></em>   She felt the horrible lump in her throat begin to rise once more. </p><p>He lifted his head to look at her, his embarrassed expression twisting violently when he saw the tears threatening to spill from her eyes. “Oh Beverly, please don’t—“ his voice cracked as he took two steps towards her, clearing half the room with his long legs. Surprised by his sudden movement, Beverly took a small step back towards the front door. He stopped short, his good eye widening. He held his arms up in surrender but she could see that he was upset with himself for startling her. She took a single step forward, looking up at him. </p><p>“I— “ Julian started, struggling to find the words he needed to say. “I’m afraid I really don’t have a good answer for you. I thought you were going back to the palace with my sister, I thought the best place to avoid you would be….here…” he said, apparently realizing the absurdity of his plan. “—kind of a ‘hiding in plain sight’ sort of thing… “</p><p>He rubbed the back of his neck with his gloved hand and cleared his throat. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” He sighed, running his long fingers through his thick curly hair, taking a small, cautious step towards her. She felt her heartbeat start to quicken as he took one final step, now standing only a few inches away from her. He looked down at her, his gloomy expression making her heart ache. </p><p>“That was quite a performance back there.” he said, his voice on the verge of cracking again. She blinked hard as she continued to fight back the burning hot tears in her eyes. His arms shot up to comfort her, hands hovering just above her shoulders, unsure if he was still allowed to touch her. </p><p>She turned her back to him and wiped her eyes, trying to stop herself from crying in front of him for the second time that night.</p><p>“Beverly, please look at me…” he whispered, sending a chill down her spine. </p><p>She turned on her heel, storming up to him as he stumbled back in shock. She seized him by the shoulders, her face now mere inches from his. Her fingers dug into the thick muscle on his arms. “You can’t keep doing this to us, Julian. Please… please, let us help you. I— I can’t bear it anymore.” her voice cracked on the last sentence. Her arms dropped as she wrapped them around her torso, trying to maintain what was left of her composure. He started to respond but she cut him off, words pouring out of her mouth “—I know you’re worried about putting us in danger, but we care about you and we want to be there for you. Your sister loves you and it’s <i>killing</i> her to sit back and do nothing while you risk being dragged off to the gallows. She is worried sick about you, and so am I. You don’t need to do this on your own.” She felt the tears spilling down her face, but she didn’t care. He stood there for a few seconds, his eye wide. The tension hung in the air for a terrifying moment. She thought he might try to run for it, but in an instant he had his arms wrapped around her.</p><p>“Please don’t cry Beverly, I’m so sorry.” He placed one arm around her back, pulling her flush against him, his other hand cradling the back of her head. “I thought this was for the best but I didn’t realize… I thought I was protecting you but I’ve done the exact opposite.” He ran his fingers through her hair. “Look at me, please” he pleaded, his voice soft. He put his hand under her chin and tilted her head up to meet his gaze. She looked up at him, her vision blurred through the tears. “Julian, I don’t need an apology from you, I don’t need you feeling more guilty on my account. You can’t keep torturing yourself like this, it’s not fair to you and it’s not fair to us. All I want— all your sister and I want, is to help you.” </p><p>He looked down at her, his fingers brushing her cheek with one hand as she leaned into his touch. </p><p>“I’m not strong enough to refuse you anymore.” </p><p>Her heart skipped a beat as she gazed up at him. He tucked her hair behind her ear. </p><p>He sighed, closing his eyes. “I’m so sorry Beverly. I don’t know how you can be so forgiving after everything I’ve done over the past two days. I’m certain that I don’t deserve it, but I swear I will do better by you from now on.”</p><p>She placed her hand on top of his, turning to kiss his palm. “You do deserve it, Julian. Someday you’ll realize it.” </p><p>He pressed his forehead to hers and sighed, dropping his arms and grabbing both of her hands in his. They stood there for a short moment, holding each other, both of them afraid to let go. Beverly leaned up and pushed his curly hair to the side, out of his good eye. He placed his hand on her cheek and wiped the remaining tears away with his thumb. He turned his head, brows furrowing as he frowned. “I hate that I am the cause of those tears.” he said, clenching his jaw. Beverly grabbed his forearm and squeezed it. “I’m glad your sister convinced me to check on the shop.” she said with a small, weak laugh. He smiled back at her. “I’m glad I came up with this terrible plan to avoid you by coming here.” he said, both of them grinning at the other. </p><p>“You really are a glutton for punishment, you know that? Coming to the bar to watch me sing… that’s quite a move.” Beverly crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow at him. </p><p>Julian let out a small chuckle. “It had a certain dramatic quality that I just couldn’t resist.” His smile disappeared. “I— the truth is that I was desperate to see you after this morning. I wanted to find you right after you left but I wasn’t sure that you would even want to see me after that display…” He shook his head, grimacing. Beverly leaned up on her toes and pecked him on the cheek. He smiled and wrapped his arm around her waist.  </p><p>“We need to talk to Portia” Beverly said after a minute, walking around the counter to grab the sweater that she had thrown on the stairs. “But I don’t think it’s safe to just barge in this late at night. I can get in through the front gates but I won’t be able to get you in by myself, and you should be the one to talk to her first.” </p><p>“Hmm, you’re right.” Julian said, beginning to pace back and forth, brow furrowing. “What are our options? We could risk sneaking in through the garden and somehow find a way to wake Pasha up without drawing attention to ourselves or her…” </p><p>“That’s too risky, Julian. We can’t leave that much up to chance right now.” Beverly said, running her hand through her messy hair. “We could go right after the sun comes up, the guards change from night shift to morning shift, we can sneak in when they’re switching.” She looked over at him, gauging his reaction to her proposal. He stopped pacing and looked over at her, grinning. He sauntered over to her, grabbing her shoulders and leaning in. “That’s perfect! Pasha has always been an early riser.” His face flushed as he realized how close he was holding her. He dropped his arms, rubbing the back of his neck with one hand, a sheepish expression crossing his face.</p><p>“I’d better go…” he said after a few seconds of awkward silence. “I can meet you here just before the sun rises and we can walk over together if you want to.” he added, grinning cheekily over at her. She felt her heart flutter, his smile made her weak at the knees… or so she thought until her legs buckled underneath her. The last thing she saw was Julian reaching out for her, his eye wide, as she collapsed onto the ground with a thud.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed chapter 5! This is another one that I really enjoyed writing. Thanks to everyone who's been reading this and giving kudos, I sincerely appreciate every bit of interaction this story gets. </p><p>Chapter 6 will be up next week, enjoy and stay safe out there!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Chapter 6</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>There was a strange buzzing noise coming from somewhere in the shop. Beverly tried to open her eyes, but her blurry vision was making her head spin. She felt herself being hoisted off the ground and realized that the buzzing was coming from her own ears. She struggled to lift her head up as she tried to get a grip on her surroundings. She was met with Julian’s concerned face looking down at her. He was saying something, she could sense the vibrations of his voice as he pulled her to his chest, but it took her a couple seconds to register the words that were coming out of his mouth.</p><p>“What?” she murmured, her voice was raspy and low.</p><p>“I’m taking you upstairs, you need to lie down.” Julian repeated, carrying her up the stairs and into her loft in a matter of moments. He sat her down on a small stool in the kitchenette and made room on the bed, shoving a pile of clean laundry to the floor. He walked back over and scooped her up once again. She could feel her face growing hot as she looked up at him. “This is… embarrassing.” she muttered as he laid her down on her side, sweeping her shoulder-length hair out of her face. He placed his hand on the side of her head. “Now we’re even for earlier” he said, waggling his eyebrow at her with a grin. She let out a soft laugh, feeling the color start to return to her cheeks. </p><p>He sat next to her on the mattress and removed his gloves, placing them on the side table next to her bed. He pressed his bare hand to her forehead, checking for a fever. He ran his fingers through her hair for a minute before he made his way over to the kitchenette. She closed her eyes, stretching her limbs out. She felt far less dizzy already. She sat up, leaning forward on one arm while she tucked her legs underneath her. Julian turned around, almost spilling the glass of water he was carrying in one hand. He stopped short, blushing when he saw her sitting there. </p><p>“What?” she asked him, shaking her head in confusion.</p><p>“I don’t know how I ever walked away from you.”</p><p>Her face turned bright red as he stared at her from across the room. There was a small part of her that was still afraid that he might disappear again at any moment. She made a wobbly effort to stand but she only made it a couple of steps before she tripped, her legs giving out underneath her. She fell forward, collapsing into Julian’s waiting arms as he leapt forward to catch her, dropping the glass of water with a loud crash in the process. They both stood up straight, Julian supporting Beverly by her forearms. He stared down at her, searching every feature of her face trying to discern if she had injured herself. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support, and kissed him. His eye widened in shock, as he grabbed her waist with both hands, supporting her. A beat passed between them only for a moment, before he closed his good eye and kissed her back, his brow furrowing. A groan deep in her throat escaped her as he parted her lips with his tongue, his cold hands making their way up the small of her back. She pressed herself harder against him so her entire body was flush with his. He moaned, biting his lip as she kissed his neck, running her teeth along his throat. “Beverly…” he breathed, leaning down, whispering directly in her ear, sending goosebumps up her spine. He placed his hand under her chin, bringing her gaze up to meet him. He leaned in, his mouth mere centimeters from hers when he let out an exasperated sigh. “As much as want this to continue, you need to lie back down. You still haven’t fully recovered yet.”</p><p>He helped her over to the bed, and she sat down on the edge. “I’m going to clean up that water, I think I broke your glass…” he said, glancing over at the floor. </p><p>“That’s alright, we have more.” Beverly replied with a smug grin. <em>You can break every glass in this house if that’s the outcome…</em> she thought as he mopped the water up with a rag and swept away the broken pieces of glass. He walked over to the trash, lingering, glancing over at her while she laid down on her stomach, propping herself up on her elbows. She looked up at him from the bed as her messy hair fell over her face. </p><p>“Well…” he started, glancing down at the floor. “I should probably get going, we only have about 6 hours before we need to head to the palace.” He walked over to the bed, bending down to kiss her on the cheek. He leaned in, his lips grazing her ear  “It’s going to be even harder to walk away from you this time.” he pulled back, his silver eye meeting hers. </p><p>“So stay."</p><p>He blinked owlishly at her for a moment, his eye wide, like he was afraid he had misheard her. A soft blush began to spread across the middle of his face as he stumbled, trying to sputter out a response. </p><p>“I mean, it’s not like we haven’t slept in the same bed before…” she trailed off, running her hand through her wild hair. </p><p>“Are you sure?” he asked, taking a cautious step towards the bed. He held his breath as he waited for her answer. She smiled up at him. </p><p>“I’m sure. I want you to stay.”</p><p>“Then I’ll stay.”</p><p>He strode over to the bed in only a couple of steps and sat down on the edge of the mattress. He began to take off off his tall boots, fiddling with the straps. The last time they slept in the same bed he had been too weak to be nervous.</p><p>She reached out and brushed his jittery hands. He looked up at her, surprised by the sudden contact. She leaned over and kissed the corner of his mouth. “Are you nervous?”</p><p>He scoffed. “Me, nervous? Of course not, I’m perfectly calm.” he replied, his hand squeezing hers a little tighter. “How are you? Still feeling woozy? Can I get you anything?”</p><p>She smiled up at him “I feel fine.”</p><p>He went back to undressing, taking his boots off and placing them delicately at the end of the bed. He stood up and took a small step away, his back to Beverly. He untucked his shirt and pulled it over his head, placing it on a nearby chair. He turned around, eyes scanning over her figure on the bed before meeting her gaze.</p><p>He walked over and sat down next to her on the bed. “Are you… do you want to change?” he asked, looking away as he rubbed the back of his neck. Beverly looked down at herself and realized that she was still fully dressed. She couldn’t stop herself from staring at his bare chest, her face growing hot when she realized that he was watching her. He grinned, waggling his eyebrow at her. </p><p>“Do you like what you see?” </p><p>He sat up on his knees, leaning over her. He placed his hand on the wall behind her to support himself as he smirked down at her from above. She reached out and placed her hand on his thigh. His eye widened as a shudder ran through his body.</p><p>“You know that I do.” She murmured as she ran her hand further up his leg. </p><p>He bit his lip as he looked down at her, his eye half-lidded, before he pulled away, sighing. 

</p><p>“Do you some need help? I can help you... with your clothes I mean. ”</p><p>She nodded in response. She sat up, leaning against one of her many pillows, braced against the wall behind the bed. Julian sat back on his knees, getting close enough to help her out of her clothes. He gulped as she gazed up at him, brushing her hair out of her eyes. He reached out with both hands and placed them on her waist. He untucked her shirt, his icy hands brushing her skin. She felt a chill starting up her spine but she forced it down, she loved the way his cold hands felt on her hips. He gripped her shirt and pulled it up over her head. She was now bare from the waist-up. Julian averted his gaze, his face even redder. <em>What a gentleman</em>. She chuckled to herself, but she did appreciate it. She knew all too well that some people would have taken advantage of her predicament without a second thought.</p><p>“What do you want me to get for you?” he asked, looking anywhere but at her.</p><p>“I have a long sleeve shirt over on the dresser.” Beverly said, still trying not to shiver, this time from the cool air hitting her bare skin. He jumped up from the bed and walked over to the dresser, where he found the shirt on top of a rumpled pile of clothes. <em>Gods, this place is a mess, I wish I had cleaned up before I left</em>. She thought as he grabbed her shirt. He walked back over to the bed, shirt in hand, looking at the floor. He sat down on the mattress, and after a few moments he looked up at her. His eyes followed all the curves of her body as he handed the garment to her. She threw it on, lifting her arms over her head. As she pulled the shirt on she glanced over at the doctor, who was bright red and staring fixedly at the ceiling above her.</p><p>“Do you need anything else?” he asked, making eye contact with her once again. </p><p>She shook her head and leaned back against the large pillow.</p><p>“I’m going to get you another glass of water.” He said, as he stood up and walked over to the kitchenette. He fiddled with the cabinet, picking out another glass. She couldn’t help but wonder if he was anxious about the sleeping arrangement. He set the glass down on her side table and walked over to the other side of the mattress. She turned to face him, crossing her legs as she tucked her hair behind her ears. “Julian, you don’t have to sleep in the bed if you don’t want to. You don’t even have to stay if you don’t want to, I understand.” </p><p>He gawked at her. “No! That’s not— darling, how could I not want to <b><i>jump</i></b> in this bed with you right now?” </p><p>He dropped down to his knees on the side of the bed, and placed his arm on the mattress, forehead in hand. “I’m afraid I’m going mess it all up.” he admitted, his voice faltering. </p><p>“So you don’t even want to try?” </p><p>“Of course I do.” He replied, wrapping his hand around hers. “I’m just terrified of hurting you… again” </p><p>Beverly reached over and brushed his cheek with her fingers, drawing his gaze to her. “You’re not a bad person, Julian. You need to have a little more faith in yourself, Portia and Mazelinka love you, I care about you… a lot. You have people in your corner but it won’t matter if you keep sabotaging yourself.” She said, trying to be gentle. “We are all here for you.” </p><p>His mouth hung open for a moment as he gazed up at her. He pulled himself up and sat on the edge of the bed. </p><p>“You’re right.” he said, weaving his slender fingers in between hers. He leaned over and kissed the back of her hand, his mouth lingering on her skin. “There’s nothing I want more than to give it— give <i>us</i> a shot.”  </p><p>She reached up and brushed away a curly piece of hair that was obscuring his good eye. He slid over to her, getting close enough that she could feel the body heat radiating off his torso. He cupped her face with his hand, balancing himself on his bent knee. He kissed her hard, pulling them together like he never wanted them to separate again. He closed his eye, his brow furrowing as she grabbed the back of his neck and sat up on her knees, now towering over him on the mattress. His other hand gripped the small of her back. She ran her fingers through the curly locks on the back of his head and gripped, tugging his hair. A moan escaped his throat and his eye shot open as he pulled away. He bit his lip and pulled her down onto his lap, her legs straddling him. Her hair fell, covering half her face as she landed on his lap with a small thud. She tucked her hair behind her ear and he pulled her in closer. He wrapped his arms around her, his breath on her throat sending small shudders through her entire body. He kissed her neck, sucking on a spot under her ear, leaving her skin slightly purple when he pulled away. She gasped and shivered. “Don’t stop.” She heard the words come out of her mouth but she didn’t remember saying them. He looked up at her, a blush spread across the middle of his face.</p><p>He pressed gentle kisses onto her neck once again. “Whatever you say, love.” He breathed, his mouth still pressed against her neck. The vibrations of the words against her skin sent a chill down her spine. He bit and sucked the tender skin on her neck, leaving several small purple bruises.</p><p>He tilted his head up and kissed her, parting her lips with his tongue with desperate, rough movements. Her heart fluttered as he kissed her. She wasn’t sure how much time had passed when they pulled apart to catch their breath. Julian looked up at her, eyes swimming, his breath ragged. She leaned forward as he pulled her back, kissing her jaw with slow, soft movements. She began to run her hand down his bare torso, but he grabbed her wrist tenderly, stopping her. “Beverly, wait.” He breathed, pulling away from her with a sigh. “We should wait. As much as I want this to happen, as much as I’ve been dreaming about this happening, I think we should wait. It’s been a long day for both of us, you particularly. I don’t think you should— I want to make sure that you’ve had time to rest— <i>properly</i> rest before things go any further.” </p><p>Beverly let out a grumpy sigh, but smiled down at him “You don’t always have to be such a gentleman, you know.” </p><p>He laughed as he lifted her off his lap and set her down on the opposite side of the bed. “Don’t worry darling, I think you’ll find that I’m not <i>always</i> a gentleman.” He said, raising his eyebrow at her with a wicked grin. </p><p>She sat up on her knees and lowered her pants down over her hips. She leaned back and kicked them the rest of the way off, leaving only a small pair of shorts underneath. </p><p>Julian blinked over at her, trying to muster up his willpower. He leaned over the end of the bed and grabbed her large, fluffy comforter, pulling it over the two of them as he laid down, stretching his long legs out. Beverly put the light out with a wave of her hand and they were plunged into total darkness.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed chapter 6! Thank you to everyone who has read/interacted with this story so far, I truly appreciate every view this gets. </p><p>As usual, Chapter 7 will be up next week. We are nearing the end of the story now, only a few more chapters to go. Have a wonderful week everyone! Stay safe out there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Chapter 7</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beverly laid still, trying not to disturb her fluffy mattress. The loft was pitch black, and the only sound they could hear was the soft whisper of the breeze wafting in through the small window above the sink. Beverly reached out, searching for Julian’s hand. Her fingers grazed against his side and he flinched, turning to face her. </p><p>“Sorry, ticklish.” he admitted. She could feel the heat rise to his cheeks as she slid closer to him. He met her halfway and wrapped his arm around her, pulling her up against his bare chest.</p><p>“Does this happen often?” </p><p>She felt his gaze focus on her as soon as the words came out of his mouth. </p><p><em>Is he… asking me how often I have people in my bed?</em>  Beverly stiffened at his question, trying to figure out if/how she should answer.</p><p>“No! No— that’s not what I meant!” Julian stammered, catching onto her train of thought, both of their faces now red. “I meant the fainting.” </p><p>“Oh,” she let out a long, relieved sigh. “Well, the short answer is that it’s been happening for about 3 years. It doesn’t happen often, only when I get overwhelmed. The long answer is… more complicated.” </p><p>“Did it happen at The Raven this morning?” His raspy voice was full of regret. “You left so suddenly. Not that you didn’t have every right to…” </p><p>Beverly was quiet for a minute. She didn’t want to give him the chance to wallow in unnecessary self-pity again. Their night had been dramatic enough as it was, but it felt wrong to start their relationship off with a lie on the first night. <em>That’s not fair to him.</em></p><p>“I didn’t faint… but I almost did.” she said, grabbing his hand and squeezing it. “Your sister helped me and I was fine.” </p><p>Julian was silent for a long moment. “I’m sorry I put you through that” His voice cracked when he spoke again. “I thought I was doing what was best for everyone, I really don’t know what I was thinking.” He squeezed her hand back fiercely, wrapping his arm around her even tighter.</p><p>She lifted his hand to her mouth and kissed his palm. “The important thing is that you’re here now. That you’re going to let your sister and I help you, and you won’t have to do this on your own anymore.” </p><p>“I don’t have to do this on my own anymore…” Julian repeated, yawning. He smiled to himself as they both drifted off to sleep. </p><p>        —————————————————————————————————</p><p>She wasn’t sure when she had fallen asleep, but she awoke with a start when she realized someone was in the bed with her. <em>Julian.</em> She looked over at his long figure, fast asleep next to her. Her eyes were just beginning to adjust to the darkness. <em>He really is incredibly handsome.</em> She couldn’t help but admire him for a few moments, tracing over his sharp features with her eyes. <em>Especially with the eyepatch.</em> She had to stop herself from chuckling as she crept out of the bed and walked over to the window. She cracked the curtain open and looked down at the street. The sun had not yet risen, and not a soul was in sight. The lanterns lining the main streets were still flickering.</p><p><em>We’re going to need to leave for the palace soon.</em> She thought as she began to pack a small bag for their trip. <em>I should probably bring extra clothes.</em> She collected a few things from the clean pile of laundry that Julian had knocked off her bed the night before. She looked over her shoulder as she shoved various items into her bag, checking every few minutes to make sure she didn’t wake the sleeping man in her bed. When she was finished she snuck back over and laid down beside him. She wrapped her arms around him from behind. He leaned into her touch, groaning. He stretched his long limbs out and opened his good eye, peering over as he turned to face her. He gave her a toothy smile when he saw her staring up at him. “Pinch me, darling, I was afraid it was just a wonderful dream.” She leaned over, catching him off guard and kissed him. His eye widened as he slid his bare hand up around the back of her neck and pulled her closer. After a few long moments, they broke apart. He rested his forehead on hers. “I could get used to that.” he said with a laugh. They laid quietly for a minute before he turned back to her, a concerned look spreading across his face.</p><p>“How are you feeling?” He looked her over, trying to gauge her reaction.<br/>
“I feel much better thanks to you.” She said as he pressed his hand to her forehead.</p><p>He smiled down at her, moving his hand to cup her cheek. “Good.”</p><p>He slipped out of bed and stretched his arms up in the air, letting out a loud groan. The first sign of light was just beginning to show outside. Beverly stood up and walked over to the kitchenette, looking out the small window above the sink once again. Everything outside was covered in a pale blue light. Julian tossed his clothes on, still half-asleep. He sat down on the bed to put his tall boots on. “That just about does it.” He stood up from the bed and walked over to Beverly, who was perched on the counter of the kitchenette. He slipped his slender hips in between her legs and put both hands firmly on her waist. “Are you ready for this?” He asked, brushing her unruly hair behind her ear. He leaned down and kissed her neck, lingering. She sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “As much as I would love to stay here forever, we need to talk to your sister.” </p><p>Julian pulled back and pecked her on the mouth, smiling from ear to ear. “You’re right of course, my dear. Let’s get going before the sun fully rises.” He picked her up off the counter and plopped her back on the floor. </p><p>Beverly checked the lock on the door several times and put up her usual protection spells. “I don’t think I have to worry about these as much now that a certain handsome doctor friend of mine won’t be breaking in anymore.” she said, turning towards him with her arms crossed. She leaned up against the door, smirking at him. Julian snorted, striding back up to her. “Never say never, love.” He placed his gloved hand on the small of her back and pulled her in close with a jolt. He leaned in, and whispered in her ear “I have more motivation to break in now than I ever have before.” She tried to force it down, but her whole body shuddered under his gentle touch. He bit his lip and gazed down at her, some of his curly auburn hair falling to obscure his face. “Are you sure you don’t want to go back in there for a little bit?”</p><p>Beverly snorted and gave him a playful shove. “Julian, we have to go!” The doctor cackled and held his arm out to her. She grabbed onto him, her face turning pink, and they made their way down the street.</p><p>“It’s adorable when you blush on my account.” Julian said, laughing at her when she looked up at him with a grumpy scowl. “I’m not trying to tease you dear, I’m being 100% truthful. I can’t resist it.” There was no semblance of a joke in his expression as he glanced down at her.</p><p>Beverly’s blush deepened once again as she looked down at the uneven street. “I could say the same for you” was all she managed to come up with as a retort. “I mean, how could I resist a mysterious, handsome doctor who keeps breaking into my house?” She looked up from the road and winked at him. </p><p>“Mysterious, eh?” Julian snickered. “Just wait a few more days, Pasha always said that I was easy to read, an open book.” Julian’s gaze fell down to the bumpy road, a look of worry crossing his face. “Do you think she’s going to forgive me?” </p><p>“Of course she will.” </p><p>“She’s going to yell at me.”</p><p>“I never said she wouldn’t yell at you.” Beverly said, giving him a sidelong glance. “But she will forgive you. You are her brother, she loves you no matter what.” </p><p>Julian stopped in the middle of the street. He placed his large hands on her shoulders as she turned towards him, confused. “Beverly…” he stammered, struggling to get the words out. “Thank you for doing this… for me. I know I didn’t make things easy for either of you. I appreciate it, more than you know.” </p><p>She grabbed his gloved hand and intertwined her fingers with his. “You are worth it.” </p><p>They continued to walk down the street in silence, Julian still gripping her hand. The sun had risen and everything was covered in a soft golden light as they reached the garment district. They weaved in between stands of clothes. People were starting to flow into the market for their morning shopping. Beverly and Julian managed to sneak inconspicuously through the small crowd of people. She was starting to feel more confident in their plan. She turned and smiled at Julian, who grinned back down at her. </p><p>Their confidence, however, fell as fast as it had come when the startling caw of a familiar bird made them both jump. Julian whirled around to see Malak land on top of a scarf stand just behind them. He cawed at them several times, wings flailing. They scanned the crowd, searching for the sight that they had both been dreading. Out of the corner of her eye, Beverly saw the familiar flash of the uniform worn by the palace guards. She spun around, searching for an exit but they were making their way through the crowds from both sides. Beverly elbowed Julian in the side and pushed him behind a scarf stand. </p><p>“Welcome!” the vendor bellowed. “Can I interest you in a scarf today? We have a wide selection of—“ </p><p>“No thank you, not today!” Beverly hissed at the man as she turned to face the doctor. “Julian, you need to get out of here now, this is too dangerous. I will go to the palace and talk to Portia myself.” </p><p>“No, I’m not going to leave you again! I want to go with you, I want to talk to Pasha myself.” He said, grabbing her arm. He stared down at her, a flash of alarm crossing his face. “I want to do this together.”</p><p>“You promised me that you would let me help you, so let me. I can’t help you if you’re captured and executed for murder. I know you want to talk to Portia but I can promise you that she would rather have you alive and safe. Now please, go.” She could feel her eyes welling up as the guards grew closer. </p><p>Julian brushed her cheek with his hand. He looked around, desperate to find another route they could take. He sighed in defeat, knowing their plan was in shambles. “Meet me at Mazalinka’s, I’ll be waiting for you.” His hand lingered on her face for another moment before he disappeared into the crowd. </p><p>Beverly turned and walked in the opposite direction, still trying to make her way through the market place without being seen. She was only a few feet away from the exit when a guard stepped in front of her. “Excuse me, ma’am. The countess has asked us to invite you back to the palace for brunch.” the guard said, looking unsure of himself. </p><p><em>‘Ma’am?’</em>  Beverly thought to herself, sulking. </p><p>“I was just on my way to the palace now, thank you.” She nudged past the guard. <em>Better he follows me than Julian, I guess.</em></p><p>“Erm- I’ll escort you, then.” The guard followed behind her as she turned the corner towards the palace. </p><p>The sun was fully visible in the sky by the time they made it through the gates, and a warm breeze drifted through the air all around them. The guard mumbled something to her but she wasn’t listening. Her mind was racing, thinking about Julian. <em>What if he got caught?</em> She was starting to spiral. <em>What if they’re taking him to the gallows <b>right now</b>?</em> She sucked a deep breath in and released it, drowning out the worries in her mind. They sauntered up to the enormous entrance of the palace. The guard knocked twice and the doors swung open with the sound of grinding stone.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all liked chapter 7! Chapter 8 will be up next week as usual. Thanks to everyone who has read this so far, I sincerely appreciate every bit of interaction this story gets. Have a great week and stay safe out there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. Chapter 8</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The guard walked several strides ahead of Beverly as they began their walk down the hall towards the dining room. The awkward tension between them was deafening, she wanted to talk to him, ask him any question just to end the silence. He seemed nervous, she couldn’t help but wonder if he was nervous because of her. She was just about to ask his name when he stopped short. They both heard the sound of footsteps approaching fast, and a small figure came skidding around the corner. Portia slid to a halt a few feet away from Beverly and the guard, straightening her uniform. She strode over to them. “Hi, Jay! I can take it from here, thank you!” The guard nodded and turned, walking the in opposite direction back towards the door. </p>
<p>Portia guided Beverly around the corner. She grabbed her hand as soon as they were out of earshot. “I’m glad you’re alright! I know it’s silly but I was afraid something had happened to you when you didn’t come back last night. Not that I blame you. Honestly, after everything that happened…” Portia rolled her eyes and squeezed Beverly’s hand.</p>
<p>“Portia, I need to talk to you, it’s <i>extremely important.</i>” Beverly whispered to her friend. Portia shushed her, looking around to make sure no one could overhear. “Not here, we should go to your room after brunch. M’lady is waiting for you in the dining room right now.” <em>Shit.</em> Beverly had almost forgotten about brunch. She had no idea what she was going to tell the Countess. Portia patted the back of her hand and let go, straightening up. “It’s going to be alright. The Countess adores you, and she seems to be in a good mood this morning.” </p>
<p>Portia stopped and winked at her when they reached the door to the dining room, she pulled the door open and ushered Beverly in.</p>
<p>“Oh, Beverly! I’m glad they were able to find you this early, thank you for joining me.” The Countess beamed at Beverly as she sat down at the opposite end of the long table. </p>
<p>“Thank you for having me!” Beverly said, grinning over at Nadia. As intimidating as she could be Beverly had grown quite fond of her. </p>
<p>Nadia laughed, winking at Beverly. “You must forgive me, I am in an excellent mood this morning. I had the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months.” </p>
<p>Several servants came in with large platters of rich-smelling food. Beverly hadn’t realized how hungry she was, her stomach growling as they laid plate after plate of food on the table. The Countess began to collect a small variety of fruit on the plate in front of her. There was a steaming quiche directly in front of Beverly that she couldn’t resist, she took a small slice and placed it on her plate. She also took half a pomegranate, trying not to get the bright red juice on the intricate, and expensive-looking table cloth. The Countess was picking at the fruit on her plate, discussing something in detail with Portia as Beverly sat and happily ate the lavish food in front of her. “—my sisters will assist when they arrive, in the meantime tell the kitchen staff not to worry.” Nadia finished, taking Portia’s hand and squeezing it, causing the redhead to turn an amusing shade pink. Portia stepped back and hurried out of the dining room, giving Beverly a subtle glance before she closed the door behind her. </p>
<p>“Beverly, I asked you here this morning because I wanted to let you know how much I appreciate your agreeing to help me with this investigation.”</p>
<p>Beverly blinked owlishly at the Countess. Nadia stifled a laugh with her napkin. “Thank you Coun— Nadia.” she stammered out. </p>
<p>“I realize that it’s not a simple task that I asked of you. No matter what the outcome, I appreciate your effort.” </p>
<p>Beverly’s face grew hot. All she could think to do was give the countess a toothy grin and nod her head in thanks. She was completely taken aback. </p>
<p>The Countess smiled and looked down at her plate. She picked up a piece of melon with her fork and glanced back up at Beverly “I don’t mean to pry, but do you have any updates for me, while we’re on the subject?” </p>
<p>“Nothing of significance…” Beverly said. She wanted to give the Countess something, but nothing big enough to reveal anything. “I have a few leads that I found looking through Dr. Devorak’s desk in the library.” </p>
<p>“Is that so? I had a feeling you might be able to find something that we overlooked.” Nadia said, the corners of her mouth lifting into a small smile. “I won’t pry any further, I trust you to update me as necessary.” The Countess rose from her chair. “I’m afraid you must forgive my rudeness once again, planning for the Masquerade is turning out to be a full-time job. There are several things that require my attention. I will speak with you soon, Beverly. Thank you again.” and with a small nod of her head, she strode out of the room. </p>
<p>Beverly sat there for a moment, trying to process what had just happened. After a few silent minutes, she stood and made her way out of the room. She walked down the hall to the guest room she was supposed to be staying in. She stepped in through the door and shut it behind her. She leaned her back against the wood, closing her eyes, and took a deep breath. </p>
<p>“BEVERLY!!!” </p>
<p>She almost screamed when Portia jumped out from behind the curtain. </p>
<p>“Portia, you nearly gave me a heart attack!!” Beverly whisper-yelled at her friend.</p>
<p>“I’m sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you, I just wanted to make sure it was actually you before I came out.” </p>
<p>Beverly forced a laugh, it was funny how much Portia and Julian were alike. Her brother had nearly given her three heart attacks within the past few days. Julian. She strode up to Portia, grasping her by the shoulders when she realized that the shorter girl still had no idea what had happened the night before. </p>
<p>“Portia, your brother was at my house— at the shop last night!” </p>
<p>Portia blinked several times, her face completely blank. Beverly’s hands fell to her sides as the redhead took a step back in disbelief. Her left eye twitched as her mouth twisted into a grumpy frown. She reached up and ran her hand through her curly hair, her fingers getting stuck halfway through. </p>
<p>“What the HELL!!” The shorter girl grabbed Beverly by the shoulders and shook her with each word. “What the hell is wrong with that boy??” Beverly blinked down at her friend, shrugging her shoulders. </p>
<p>“Well, what did he want?!”</p>
<p>“He didn’t know I would be there. Something about ‘hiding in plain sight’… I guess he thought the safest place to avoid me would be… where I live?” </p>
<p>Portia snorted. “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, honestly. So, what happened?”</p>
<p>“I— I convinced him to let us help him.” Beverly looked down at Portia, flushing slightly. “He agreed, Portia. He was going to come here and tell you himself but we nearly got caught in the garment district, he had to make a quick exit. The guards found me a few minutes later and escorted me here.”</p>
<p>Portia stared at her friend for a couple of seconds. Beverly was starting to wonder if she was angry when the redhead grabbed her around the waist and pulled her into a tight hug, lifting the taller girl off the ground. She looked up at her, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks.</p>
<p>“Thank you, Beverly. Because of you my brother has a chance. That’s a debt I don’t think I’ll be able to repay.” </p>
<p>Beverly laughed, embarrassed. She was unsure of how to respond as Portia placed her back on the ground. “It’s my pleasure, I… care about him a lot.” </p>
<p>Portia eventually let go of her waist and stepped back, peering up at her. “So… did he stay with you at the shop last night?” she winked, laughing as her friend turned a deep shade of maroon. “I’m kidding Bev, please spare me the details.” </p>
<p>Beverly elbowed her friend in the arm. She ambled over to the bed and sat down with a heavy plop. She hadn’t realized how tired she was until she felt the fluffy feather mattress in her guest room. Portia paced around the room. “So what now? He doesn’t want to leave town, I already tried that the day we announced the Masquerade and he flat-out refused. He wants to figure out what happened the night the Count died, so I guess we have to help him try and remember, or find someone who does. We just need to find out who else was there that night. ” </p>
<p>Beverly nodded. She didn’t have an answer. She didn’t even have a guess. “We need to get him into the library so he can take a look at his old desk.” </p>
<p>Portia hummed, as she walked over towards the bed. She sat down next to her friend, swinging her feet. “If you have a way to get him past the guards then it will just be a simple matter of getting through the doors.” She pulled out the large ring of keys, jingling them, and winked up at the apprentice. </p>
<p>        ——————————————————————————————————-</p>
<p>Beverly felt much more comfortable walking out the front doors of the palace after her conversation with Nadia that morning. The sun was starting to set as she made her way down the wide road to the gate. She had taken a nap after Portia had left to continue with the preparations for the masquerade, and she was feeling very refreshed. She and Portia had agreed to meet at her shop the next morning so they could sneak Julian into the palace. Their plan was to use a disguise to get him past the guards and into the library. After that… well, she’d figure that part out if they made it that far. <em>Oh shit, was it a left or a right…</em></p>
<p>Beverly stood at the end of the palace road. She couldn’t remember how to get to Mazelinka’s from here. She had always been horrible at directions, she was 28 years old and she still sometimes forgot her left from her right. She took a right, making a decision and hoping it was the correct one. The sky was getting darker and darker as she made her way down the street, the sun just starting to set. She looked up and realized she could already see several stars in the sky. She closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, she loved the way the air smelled on cool nights in the city. She recognized several buildings as she turned a corner, and knew that she was heading in the right direction. The lanterns were just being lit as she made her way through the main streets of the city. It had only been about 15 minutes when she came across the garden that she and Julian had snuck into on their run from the guards. She walked over to it and looked in through the bars of the locked gate. She could still picture him staring down at her as he tucked the deadly starstrand behind her ear. She could hear the soft groans he let out when she pushed him up against the wall. She felt her cheeks begin to flush as she shook the memory out of her mind. She let go of the gate and continued on her way. The closer she got to Mazelinka’s the more anxious to see Julian she became. <em>I wonder if he’s anxious to see me...</em>She felt her heart jump a little at the prospect of Julian pacing around the house, waiting to see her again. She was only about a minute away and she had to stop herself from breaking out in a dead sprint. After what felt like a lifetime she reached Mazelinka’s house, knocking on the door a little louder than she meant to. </p>
<p>“Come in!” She heard the woman yell from inside. Beverly pushed the door open and closed it behind her. Her eyes scanned the room, searching for the doctor. </p>
<p>“Earth to Beverly!” Mazelinka said, waving a wooden spoon in front of her face. “It’s nice to see you too!” </p>
<p>“I’m sorry Mazelinka, it is nice to see you, of course.” She smiled down at the woman. Mazelinka laughed “Not to worry, I understand.” She walked over to the fireplace and began poking it. She turned back around to face Beverly, who was still looking for Julian. He had yet to make an appearance. <em>Maybe he’s in the back…</em></p>
<p>“He isn’t here, dear.” </p>
<p>Beverly felt her heart begin to hammer, but before she could fully panic Mazelinka took  her by the hand. “He’s alright, sweetheart. I didn’t mean to scare you. He’s completely fine. But he couldn’t stay here, the guards have started snooping around the outskirts of the city since the investigation was reopened and one of them nearly saw him climbing through the window. I tried to convince him to stay but you know how he is. He didn’t want to put me in any ‘danger’. As if I can’t handle those palace bastards.” Mazelinka shook her head and patted Beverly’s hand before she walked back over to the cauldron, which was dangerously close to bubbling over.</p>
<p>Beverly’s heartbeat was starting to return to normal. Julian was alive and he wasn’t in prison, or currently being executed. </p>
<p>Mazelinka snatched a piece of paper off the mantle and handed it to Beverly, with a wink.</p>
<p>The writing was extremely difficult to read, but she immediately recognized it from the scrolls and notes on Julian’s desk in the library. </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <em>Beverly,<br/>
I’m sorry that I was unable to meet where we agreed. I had another close call and I  can’t put Mazelinka at risk after everything she’s done for me. I’m going to The Slippery Snake, it seems the only place I’m safe from the guards is the taverns in this city. Come find me when you get this, I’ll be waiting for you. </em>
</p>
<p>
  <em>J.D.</em>
</p>
<p>Beverly folded the piece of paper and stuck it in her pocket. </p>
<p>“Well, what are you waiting for?” Beverly turned around to find Mazelinka staring at her with a mischievous, toothy grin. Beverly leaned down and hugged the older woman, who laughed and squeezed back. “Thank you Mazelinka, I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.” Beverly turned and tugged the door open, giving the woman a wide smile before she walked out into the night.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all like Chapter 8! Chapter 9 will be up next week as usual. Thanks for everyone who's taken the time to read this, I appreciate every view this gets. Have a wonderful week and stay safe out there.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Chapter 9</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hello all, I know I usually do these at the end but this chapter included NSFW content so please keep that in mind before you read any further. You have been warned, enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Beverly hadn’t noticed how grueling her pace was as she made her way to the tavern. Her breath was becoming ragged, and she was starting to sweat. She forced herself to slow her pace, she had never walked around the city this much in one night, at least in recent memory. <em>Why didn’t he just go to the shop?</em> She thought as she caught her breath. <em>Why the tavern?</em> Her question was answered as she turned a corner a few streets away from her shop. Two guards were walking down the middle of the road, muttering to one another. Beverly turned her head and pulled her sweater closer to her body, trying not to draw any attention to herself. She knew she was allowed to be out of the palace, but she still didn’t want to risk getting sucked into a conversation. </p><p>“—I don’t understand why you can’t just come and meet my parents.” one guard was saying to the other “It’s been over a year.” </p><p>“It’s not that I don’t <i>want</i> to meet your parents…” the other man began, as Beverly turned down a small side street, fighting the urge to eavesdrop on their conversation. <em>Mind your own business, you have more important things to do.</em> She came out on the other side of the road and realized she was only one street away from the tavern. Her heart began to pound once again as she started up the road. She could see the sign with the yellow snake on it, creaking in the breeze. She walked up to the door and hesitated for only a moment before she pushed it open and walked inside. </p><p>Her eyes adjusted to the dim light as soon as she walked in. “Beverly! Back already, hmm?” The barkeep beamed down at her.</p><p>“You know I can’t stay away for too long, Carmen.”  </p><p>They laughed, throwing their head back. “Let me know if you need anything, Greg is fuming mad that he missed your performance last night. I’m sure you’re going to get an earful from him shortly.” Carmen nodded their head, motioning behind her. Beverly turned around to see her neighbor, Greg, and his wife Hannah sitting at one of the tables near the piano. Just as she looked over at them, Greg looked up, his eyes lighting up when he saw Beverly standing by the bar. “BEVERLY!” Greg shouted across the room. Hannah let out a loud cackle and waved at Beverly, shaking her head as her husband shot up and sprinted over to the apprentice. </p><p>Beverly was only half-listening to his excited rambling as she scanned the room, desperate to find that familiar flash of auburn hair that she was searching for. Greg was going on and on about missing her song the night before when her eyes met with the silvery gaze of the doctor. He grinned over at her from the back corner of the room. He chuckled and raised his eyebrow, lifting his glass at her. He placed his gloved hand over his mouth, trying to stifle his laughter as he stared over at her. She didn’t understand what he was laughing at until she looked down and realized that Greg was on his knees in front of her, his arms flailing around in exaggerated movements. “Please Beverly! Please play another song, they’re all giving me a hard time for missing it last night. Everyone said it was the best one so far.” he begged, clasping his hands together. “Please, please, PLEASE!”</p><p>“Greg, oh my GODS! Stand up, man!” Beverly threw her hands up in the air, an embarrassed flush spreading across her face as Hannah and the rest of the table burst into laughter. “Come on, Beverly! I can’t stand to listen to him whine anymore!” his wife shouted over. The table started hooting and hollering in agreement. Beverly looked over at Julian who was sitting there grinning from ear to ear. He raised his glass, waggling his eyebrow at her.</p><p>She rolled her eyes and walked over to the piano. Greg sat back down at the table and cheered as she plopped down on the bench, garnering another laugh from his wife. </p><p>For once she knew what she wanted to sing, but unlike last night she knew that the doctor would be watching, and she couldn’t shake the nervous energy brewing inside her. She glanced Julian, who was staring up at her with a look that made her want to leap across the room and drag him back to her shop. <em>He’d probably enjoy that.</em> She chuckled, shaking the image from her mind. She took a deep, shaky breath and began to play. </p><p>
  <em>I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down<br/>
I feel my heart start to trembling<br/>
Whenever you're around</em>
</p><p>Greg was already on his feet, attempting to clap along with the beat. Hannah was crying with laughter, watching her husband dance along, very poorly, to Beverly’s song. She looked over at Julian. His face was flushed as he gazed at her.</p><p>
  <em>Ooh, dearest, when I see your face<br/>
Mellow as the month of May<br/>
Oh, darling, I can't stand it<br/>
When you look at me that way</em>
</p><p>She saw a wide grin spread across his face out of the corner of her eye. She turned her attention back to the piano to stop herself from laughing.</p><p>
  <em>I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down<br/>
I feel my heart start to trembling<br/>
Whenever you're around<br/>
Ooo, darling, when you're near me<br/>
And you tenderly call my name<br/>
I know that my emotions<br/>
Are something I just can't tame<br/>
I've just got to have you</em>
</p><p>Beverly could feel her face grow hot as she continued to play. She tried to appear confident as she glanced sideways at the doctor. The cheeky smile had disappeared from his face.</p><p>
  <em>I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumblin’ down<br/>
I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumblin’ down<br/>
I just lose control<br/>
Down to my very soul<br/>
I get hot and cold, all over, all over, all over, all over<br/>
I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumblin’ down<br/>
I feel the earth move under my feet<br/>
I feel the sky tumbling down, tumblin’ down</em>
</p><p>She was totally out of breath by the time she finished the song. The table in front of her was cheering but she wasn’t listening. Julian was staring at her from his table in the back of the room, his good eye boring into her. She was trembling, but for once it was from excitement and not fear. She had been so unsure of everything over the past couple of days, between Asra disappearing again, Nadia and the investigation, and everything that had happened with Julian, she had spent the past couple of days wondering what she should do and how she should feel. But as she sat there and locked eyes with him from across the room, she was filled with a sudden clarity. She knew for certain what she wanted at that moment, and it was him.</p><p>Which is why it shocked her to her core when he stood up from the table and walked out the back door without a second glance back. </p><p>She felt her heart jump into her throat when the door swung shut behind him. <em>Why.</em> Her thoughts began to race as she tried to come up with an explanation. Greg grabbed her hand and kissed it, shouting words of praise, but all Beverly could hear was the overwhelming thumping in her chest. She looked up at her friend and gave him a feeble smile, attempting to hide her pure shock. She stood from the piano and walked over to Greg and Hannah’s table, thanking them for their kind words. </p><p>“Well, two nights in a row has taken a lot out of me, I’m going to head back to the shop now, goodnight everyone.” Her voice was so shaky that she didn't recognize it.</p><p>She waved at them as they all wished her a good night, and she stumbled out of the tavern. The silence on the street was deafening as the door closed behind her, taking the warm environment inside with it. Beverly stood in the middle of the road for a few moments, at a total loss. <em>I don’t understand what went wrong.</em></p><p>After what seemed like an eternity she moved from her spot in the street. She turned the corner, taking the shortcut through the small alley on the side of the tavern back towards the shop. She was halfway through when she felt a hand grip her wrist and whirl her around. She started to yell when she saw that familiar flash of auburn that made her heart leap.</p><p>“Julian!?” She choked out. “Why— <b>what happened!?</b>”</p><p>“I’m sorry darling, I didn’t mean to frighten you.” He said, blushing. He let go of her wrist and her arm dropped to her side.</p><p>“Why did you leave, Julian? You scared me, I thought— I thought you ran away again.”</p><p>Julian’s eye widened. He took a small, cautious step towards her. She looked up at him, bewildered. He took another step towards her. He was now in front of her, their bodies almost touching. He reached up, tucking her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on the back of her neck. “I already told you, I don’t know how I walked away from you the first time. I don’t think I could ever do it again.” She felt the heat rising to her face as he gazed down at her. “I’m sorry I ran out, it’s just…” he stammered, trying to finish his sentence. He looked away as a blush crept across the middle of his face. She looked up at him, waiting for his explanation.</p><p>“I want you so badly.” It was no more than a whisper. His face was bright red as he looked down at the street, refusing to meet her eyes. “You know the things that I’m accused of, and you want to be with me none the less. You could pick anyone— anyone at all, and you’re still choosing me.” </p><p>He lifted his gaze and wrapped his shaky hand around hers. “I want you. Every part of you, in every way.”</p><p>Time seemed to slow down as she digested his words, her heart fluttering like a bird.</p><p>Julian continued “And… listening to you sing that song tonight, it was almost too much to handle… to think that you could feel the same way about me.” </p><p>Beverly’s heart was beating out of her chest. Although her strong feelings towards the doctor confused her at times, his words filled her with a joy that she couldn’t contain. She wrapped her arms around Julian's neck and kissed him, hard. She slid her tongue into his mouth and he grasped both sides of her face, pulling them closer together. She slid her hand up and into his curly hair and pulled, a deep groan escaping from his throat. She pushed him back towards the wall of the tavern and planted messy kisses on his soft lips. He leaned back, resting against the wall, and wrapped both of his hands around her waist. He lifted her up onto her tiptoes, causing her to tip forward, balancing herself against his chest. His hands slid under her sweater, caressing her lower back. Beverly pushed her body up against his. She could feel him against her thigh as she used her knee to grind against him. His eye popped open and he let out a moan as she continued. He grabbed her shoulders and kissed her with rough, desperate movements. She let out a groan as he parted her mouth and slid his tongue up against hers. His whole body shuddered and he flipped her around by the shoulders and pushed her up against the wall, pressing his entire body against hers. His hands dropped back down to her hips, his fingers finding their way under her shirt and up her sides. She gasped at the touch of his cold gloves against her skin. He pulled his hand away with a jolt and stopped kissing her. He looked down at her, panting, his face flushed.</p><p>“Too much?” He asked, a worried look crossing his face “I’m sorry, we can slo—“</p><p>“Please don’t stop—” Beverly breathed out, grabbing his arms for support.</p><p>Julian leaned down and kissed her neck. He moaned as his mouth pressed against her throat. He slid his hands under her sweater again and slid them up to her stomach. Her breath quickened as his hands wandered farther up her body, until he reached her breasts. His breath hitched in her ear as his hands slid over her curves.</p><p>“Julian” she muttered, her eyes fluttering. </p><p>He picked his head up from her neck and looked at her, his hand resting on her waist under her shirt. </p><p>“I want you.” </p><p>He blinked at her for a few moments. His hand dropped from under her shirt, and she was afraid he hadn’t heard what she had said. She was trying to muster up the courage to repeat herself when he wrapped his large hand delicately around her wrist and tugged her off the wall of the tavern.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I hope you all enjoyed chapter 9! We only have one chapter left now, and it will be up next week as usual. The song mentioned in this chapter is I Feel the Earth Move by Carole King, if you haven't heard it, I would definitely recommend checking it out. Thank you so much to everyone who has taken the time to view and interact with this story, it really means a lot to me. I wanted to do something that pushed me out of my comfort zone and this has really been an enlightening experience. I hope you all have a wonderful week, stay safe out there, and get ready for the final chapter!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Chapter 10</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This final chapter is NSFW and includes graphic descriptions of consensual sexual activity, it is not appropriate for anyone under 18.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Neither of them spoke as they slipped through the city, zig-zagging through dimly-lit side streets. Julian was still gripping her wrist like he was afraid she would disappear into thin air if he dared let go. Beverly glanced up at the doctor as he led her down a dark alley between two tall buildings. </p>
<p><em>Penny for your thoughts, doc?</em> She was desperately curious what he was thinking at that moment, but they were moving too fast for her to ask. He was always so expressive, it was strange seeing him like this. His brow furrowed as he concentrated on remembering the fastest route back to her street. It was for certain the quietest he had ever been around her. She let out a soft chuckle, catching his attention. He paused behind a small, weathered shop and looked down at her, his good eye lighting up when he saw her crooked smile. He gave her a toothy grin and squeezed her hand. <em>Ah. That’s better.</em> He started to turn around the corner when she heard the faint murmur of conversation. She stopped short, pulling him behind her. She peeked around the building and saw two guards walking away in the opposite direction. She gave him a short nod as soon as they were out of sight, and they resumed their desperate race to her shop. </p>
<p>After what seemed like a lifetime they made it to the storefront. Beverly dropped the protection spell as they approached, unlocked the door, and darted into the dark shop. Julian followed her through the threshold and closed the door behind him. He whipped back around and let out a groan of surprise as Beverly slammed him hard up against the back of the door. She grabbed the sides of his face with both of her hands, pulling him down to meet her lips. He closed his eye and wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him. They parted, both of them still needing to catch their breath from their trek home. Julian brushed her hair behind her ear, his hand lingering on her neck. A mischievous grin broke out across his face, and before she could register what was happening, he bent down and picked her up at the waist. He stepped away from the door and threw her over his shoulder like a bale of hay. </p>
<p>She gasped, letting out a loud bark of laughter and kicked her feet, trying to see over his shoulder. “Julian! What are you doing!” He cackled, throwing his head back as he walked her over towards the stairs. “That was a long walk over, darling, I’m going to burst soon if we don’t get up to the bed.”</p>
<p>She was laughing so hard that her stomach began to cramp as he bumped them both into the narrow walls of the staircase. The sound of his laughter mixing with hers filled her with unbridled joy. <em>I wonder when I last laughed like this?</em> She was starting to question if she ever had. He was careful not to knock her head as he walked through the kitchenette and flung her onto the bed, grinning from ear to ear. She landed on her back with a soft thud, bouncing up on the mattress. She closed her eyes for a moment and let out a long, controlled breath as she tried to regain her composure. He dropped to his knees on the side of the bed, propping his elbows up on the mattress. He stared over at her, his eye half-lidded. “That was easily one of my favorite trips through the city, love. One for the books.” </p>
<p>She took another deep breath in and let it out. She sat back, her elbows supporting her, and looked down the length of the bed at him. She kicked her shoes off one at a time, landing with a thump next to him. He shrugged himself out of his coat and stood up. He began taking his gloves off, never breaking eye contact as she lay stretched out on the bed. He picked his coat up from the floor and tossed it on the stool in the corner of the room, along with his gloves. He reached down and in one swift motion undid the buckles on his boots, kicking them both off. He looked down at her, his good eye roaming over her outstretched figure, as he began to undo the ties on his shirt. She watched him undress, growing impatient. He pulled his shirt over his head, exposing his bare chest. She felt the heat rising to her face as he walked over to her. He put one knee on the bed and leaned down, his soft lips caressing hers. He placed his hands on her waist, moving them up and under her sweater. He parted her lips with his tongue as his fingers fiddled with the waistband of her pants. The anticipation sent uncontrollable chills through her body.  He pulled back and looked into her eyes.</p>
<p>“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low and raspy.</p>
<p>“Absolutely.”</p>
<p>He pulled her pants down over her hips, kissing her thighs as he pulled them further down, tugging them all the way off. He threw them on top of his own pile of clothes. He reached up and pulled both her sweater and shirt off all at once. She was now bare from the top up, wearing nothing but a small pair of shorts.</p>
<p>Julian knelt there for a moment, eyes tracing over her as he committed her to memory. He reached down and tugged at the waist of his pants, untying the piece of fabric at his hips. He looked up at her, hesitating only for a moment before he slid them down. He let them fall to the floor and stepped out of them, balancing one knee on the bed in between her legs. He leaned over and kissed her waist just above her shorts. He reached up with both hands and pulled them off her, tossing them to the floor. He slid both knees on the bed and wrapped his arm around the small of her back, lifting her up and sliding them both farther back on the bed. He rested her head on one of the many pillows scattered across the mattress. <em>This is it.</em> She thought, balling her hands into fists as she tried to stop them from shaking, adrenaline coursing through her. She knew that once they crossed this line there would be no going back for either of them. He pulled back, leaning on his elbow, and met her gaze. His other hand slid down her side and in between her legs. He hovered for a moment, his silver eye meeting hers. <em>I want this.</em> Amongst all the confusion in her life, this was the one thing she knew for certain, she could feel it in the deepest part of her instincts. A beat passed between them and he slid his fingers inside her.<br/>
</p>
<p>Her breath hitched as he worked his fingers in and out, his movements getting quicker and harder the more she moaned.  </p>
<p>“Oh fuck…” she heard the words come out of her mouth but she couldn’t think straight enough to process them. Waves of pleasure rode over her entire body as the doctor’s slender fingers hit a sweet spot inside of her. He leaned over and kissed her neck, running his lips up and down her throat. </p>
<p>“Julian…” she moaned out after a few minutes had passed, her voice getting louder and more desperate. “I can’t wait any longer.” </p>
<p>Julian pulled his hand back as he leaned down and growled into her ear. “Anything you say, darling. Are you ready?”</p>
<p>She groaned as he positioned himself in between her legs. She reached up and ran her fingers through his hair, tugging at the curls in the back. “Yes.” </p>
<p>Julian bit his lip, a bright blush spreading across the middle of his face as he glanced down at her. He reached down and brushed a piece of hair out of her eyes, and using his other hand to keep his balance, he pushed himself inside her. </p>
<p>They both moaned. The sounds that came out of him made Beverly’s eyes roll back as he thrust himself in and out, noises that she had never heard before coming out of her as well. </p>
<p>Julian pressed his forehead against hers as he pushed deeper inside her, sending waves of pleasure through her. “I must be the luckiest man alive.” </p>
<p>She propped herself up on her elbow and kissed him, closing her eyes. He leaned into her and kissed her back hard. They separated and he placed both hands on the mattress behind her head. He began to pick up the pace of his thrusts, groaning when she reached around and placed her hand on the middle of his back. He went deeper inside her with a forceful thrust and she dug her short nails into his back. He let out a loud, shameless moan and looked down at her, his eye half-open. He bit his lip, trying to contain his groans of pleasure as she marked up his back. He sat back on his knees and grabbed her legs, pulling her closer to him. He lifted her hips up on top of his thighs and entered her with a deep thrust. She gasped, moaning his name louder than she meant to. If there wasn’t a roof over her head she could have sworn she was seeing stars. She grabbed his forearm and squeezed hard. “Julian, wait.” she breathed out. He stopped short and glanced down at her, a look of concern spreading across his face. Before he could get a word out she sat up on his lap, her legs wrapping around him as he sat back. She ran her hand through his hair and pulled his head back, forcing him to meet her eyes. “Lay down on your back” she murmured into his ear.</p>
<p>Julian picked her up by the waist, pulling her off his lap. He plopped her on the bed and pecked her cheek before he laid down on his back, obeying her request. Beverly sat up on her knees and crawled over to him. He watched her every move, squirming impatiently. She swung one of her legs over him, straddling his torso. Leaning over him, balancing her hands on the mattress, she bent down and kissed him. He reached his hand up and ran it through the back of her hair, pulling her closer as their tongues met. After a few moments, she picked her head up and looked down at him. Using her hand as a guide she leaned back on him and he was inside of her once again. He let out a loud moan, his eye rolling back as she rode him. His hips bucked up, forcing himself deeper inside her and she grunted with pleasure. He looked up at her and gave her a toothy grin. “You have a lot of good angles, darling, but this is one of your best.”</p>
<p>She laughed, throwing her head back as it turned into a moan, Julian’s hips picking up speed. She was fully grinding against him now, on the edge of an orgasm. Julian sat up, pulling Beverly in closer as his long arms wrapped around the small of her back. She was still on top of him and he was still inside of her, but she was now sitting on his lap, her legs wrapped around his lower back. He pressed sloppy kisses to her jawline. She ran her hands through the hair at the nape of his neck. “Julian—” she blurted out, moments away from her release.</p>
<p>He pulled his gaze back and his silver eye met with hers as he thrust in deep, sending her over the edge. The orgasm hit her in waves and left her legs shaking. Her eyes rolled back and she let out a groan so loud that she thought she might wake the neighbors. Julian watched her, the sight of her finishing on top of him also sending him over the edge as he finished inside of her, pressing his mouth into the crook of her neck, trying to quiet his own noises.</p>
<p>They sat there panting for a moment, Beverly still on his lap and Julian still inside of her. Julian reached up and took her chin in his hand. He guided her mouth to his and for what seemed like the hundredth time in the past three days, their eager lips met. Except that this time it felt different, more meaningful, more real. Nothing would ever be the same between them and they both knew it. <em>You’re in for it now.</em> She thought, resting her head against his as she took it all in. But to her surprise, she didn’t feel fear, just exhilaration. He pulled back and opened his eye, meeting her gaze as she looked down at him, smiling. “That was… incredible.” he said, shaking his head, at a loss for words. He grabbed her by the waist and flipped her over on the soft bed, hugging her so tight that she couldn’t escape even if she wanted to. She laughed, yelping as she tried to break free from his muscular arms, but he wouldn’t relent, peppering kisses all over her face and neck. </p>
<p>“Gods we have to do that again,  as soon as possible.” He said, sighing as he laid back, pulling her against him. She rested her head against his chest, and he reached up, running his hand through her disheveled hair. She hummed as his delicate fingers traced patterns on her scalp. “I heartily agree.” </p>
<p>They sat in the quiet loft for a few minutes, their bodies stuck together. Beverly sat up, pulling one of the many blankets over herself. She pulled her knees to her chest and she turned around so she was facing the doctor. He was watching her, his eye never leaving hers. The way he looked at her, the way he <i>always</i> looked at her sent shivers down her spine. Even when she was breaking his heart with a song, or when he was breaking hers with goodbye, he looked at her like she was the most beautiful sight he’d ever seen. And here, after everything they went through in the past couple of days, after all the highs and lows, she knew for certain that she felt the same way.</p>
<p>“Should I assume you're letting me stay the night again?” he raised his eyebrow and grinned down at her. “Or should I sneak out the back?”</p>
<p>She chuckled, stretching her legs back out, and pulled him closer, her mouth mere centimeters from his. “I want you to stay, always.” </p>
<p>He placed his hands on both sides of her face and kissed her. </p>
<p>“Always sounds good to me.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you so much to everyone who has interacted with this story over the past 10 weeks. I posted this mostly as an exercise for myself with very low expectations, so the fact that this has over 450 views is unreal to me. This was such a fun story to write, I really enjoyed every moment of it. Although I'm sad that this is officially the end of Speechless, I've definitely got more things in the works for Beverly and Julian. </p>
<p>Thanks again, and I sincerely hope you enjoyed it. All the best.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. This fan fiction is two years in the making, it is a little over 23,000 words, and it is fully completed! This is the first of 10 chapters, I will be uploading one chapter per week. I have rated this work "explicit" as there will be NSFW content in later chapters. </p>
<p>If you would like more information on my inspiration for this story, or anything else, please feel free to leave a comment.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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